Slumdog Millionaire is the story of how an impoverished Indian teen became a contestant on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to be A Millionaire?” This is a love story and a good one. But that description sells it short. It’s just a great story, well-told. It’s based on the novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup. [Trailer]
We saw the film at the RagTag Cinema in Columbia. Our first time there. The “theater” had about 80 or 90 seats, most of which were unmatched office chairs (not the swivel kind). I’m guessing the screen was about 10 by 25 feet.
Before the film, a young man came out and made a few announcements about upcoming films. All very casual. Some folks were drinking wine, others had a beer. There’s a bar in the lobby. [Quote from their website: “A theater without beer is just a museum.” – Bertolt Brecht]
And I didn’t see/hear one screaming child. This was a much better movie experience than we’re used to. I’m sure we’ll go again.
Yes, congrats on finding the Ragtag Cinema. Been going there for years. Often, they’ll screen the films nominated for Academy Awards that are too small to play in the big chain theaters. And then they clean up! There are two theaters in their new location. The old office chair/old couch room, and the real-theater-seats theater for larger audiences. If you noticed, the walls sometimes sport local fare from artists of several media, whether it be painting, print block, or metalwork.
P.S. Their website is pretty good, too. http://www.ragtagfilm.com
Congratulations on finding a good theater to go to. Of course, with my spectacularly liberal attitude, my heart is warmed by anything that eschews the cultural offerings of our traditional corporate masters. Perhaps more cinemas don’t have liquor licenses because they fear the audiences would revolt against the drivel usually being shown.
Also, related, if you are ever in the mood for a film when in Saint Louis, you should check out the Moolah theater: http://www.stlouiscinemas.com/moolah/. It’s in the old shrine mosque in the Central West End (bought after the Shriners moved out to West County to find a quiet place to die)– the building is of epic scale, and the theater is retrofitted with dozens of big fluffy leather couches. The bar usually has themed drinks for the film they are showing. There’s a bowling alley downstairs. And, like the Ragtag ciné, they only show good films.