November
14Staying Down and Dirty
Given the “down” economy, some Oscar voters are bracing themselves for the annual onslaught of depressing but “serious” movies that will fill the screening rooms in December. “Changeling” made audiences paranoid about what was happening to their children. “Revolutionary Road” should destroy a few marriages. Even the new Bond movie, “Quantum of Solace,” is oddly somber – its mood is “grim and downcast,” as A.O. Scott describes it in the New York Times.Gratitude should therefore be expressed to those brave filmmakers and theatrical producers who are bucking the trend. When it comes to mood-altering movies, “Slumdog Millionaire” takes the cake. It’s so uplifting, it’s downright narcotic. On Broadway, critics by and large are raving about “Billy Elliot” for similar reasons. Yeah, it’s a tear-jerker; sure, Elton John has written better scores. But the show is not just theater, it’s a tonic.
Isn’t that really why people are willing to pay money for tickets?
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