Slumdog Millionaire -Movie Review

Well, it’s near 2:00am and I just got back from one of those nights.  I was in the middle of watching Slumdog Millionaire…rather, I was within the last 20 minutes of the movie…when I got the urge, the need, to go to a local bar called Dan’s.  Now I am not really a fan at all of this bar, but as far as bars in Walnut Creek goes, this one is alright.  Now my ‘choice’ to get up towards the end of a very good movie may very much coincide with one of the main premises of this movie, and that is why I write tonight. 

First off, I am exhausted so do your best to follow here.  JP and I put in a 2 1/2 hour bike ride through the Berkeley hills this afternoon, and since I am now a working man, I am in the habit of falling asleep at 11pm and getting up at 7am.  Thus, a 2:00am night feels much later than it is.  Not to mention there was an incredibly good U2 cover band playing and we were all there rocking it out. 

Slumdog Millionaire.  As I mentioned, it is a really good movie.  For whatever reason I have been incredibly resistant to watch it.  Something about India and a game show didn’t quite grab hold.  Not to mention it got so many Oscar nods that I felt that throwing that much attention and accolades could only kill the only chance of me liking it. 

Now the first 15 minutes had me ready to turn the movie off.  I have strong reactions to movies.  Hell, I have strong reactions to everything.  However the movie did work its way past my initial problems, and then it really began to take hold. 

And the one premise that really ties to this evening, is the idea of fate.  The whole, ‘meant to be’ dealio.  Now I am at a point in my life where I have become a lot more…what’s the word…not open minded, but more of a believer in things where I normally wouldn’t put much faith or credence in.  Somewhere along the line in my darkest years, I have come, through my own experiences, to ”witness” an undercurrent of something that seems to tie things together.  I will leave it at that, since…well, hell, because I want to leave it at that. 

Anyways, let me just get to the point here.  For whatever reason, I stopped a good movie, and felt like I had to go out.  Mind you, I haven’t been out to a bar in like 5 months.  I just don’t do it these days.  But, despite being tired off my ass, and despite the movie, I threw on some clothes and headed out. 

And I drove up to Dan’s.  Parked.  Got out.  And made my way in, where the only people I could hope to run into would be friends of friends.   A thin connection at the very least.  

Now mind you, I wasn’t looking to “score”.  It wasn’t about that.

I rolled up to the bar and saw the friends of friends.  I gave a quick hello, bought a Budweiser, and headed to the pool area since the place was paaaaaacked.  And as I walk into the room, I see this guy in the corner of my eye who resembled this guy where I interned down in San Diego.  Since him being in this bar would make absolutely no sense, I kept walking.  However something told me that it was him, so low and behold I turned around and what do you know?  JB.  (None of you know him…no need to rack the brain). 

The relevance of this guy is that he worked at the same place where I met my ex.  And I am not going to share anything about the ex since from the beginning I made a conscious decision to not share the details of her and I.  But to give you a sliver, we have been the witnesses and participants to very rough timing.  Two hearts tied up in one another, with a world of difficulties shared due to our timing.  She recently actually paid me a visit and while a future of marriage and kids could plausibly be ours….she is in a place where fear of being hurt again may prove to be too strong.  She may have been through too much.  And her faith and belief in her and I may have finally reached a place of no return.  I don’t know.  I have many feelings on the subject but I’m not going to share further here…

So back to Slumdog.  Without giving anything really away here…the main character, Jamal has this tie to the stunning Latika.  (She may be a minor, but fuck it…the girl is gorgeous.  She’s actually probably in her early 20’s so I assume it’s all good.  If she’s not, then the minor in me is reeling.  Let me have that.)  Anyways, the movie functions around their union even though when they are apart and seperated by insurmoutable seeming odds, their lives continue to intersect.  Now I will leave the ending alone, but you get the idea whether you’ve seen it or not.

So back to me…  Back to the “undercurrent” of something that perhaps ties or binds.

I’m in the bar and I see JB.  Makes no sense, but we of course get to talking.  Oh, but just more chit chat at first.  We never really got along well back in the day.  In fact, as I was told and perceived, he couldn’t stand me.  He is like 7 years older or something but from the beginning of my stay at the SDRC, it was clear that he wasn’t welcoming me.  I think it more had to do with another rooster being in the henhouse, but regardless, it was frosty. 

But tonight there was none of that.  Or at least, not after our first hellos.  Those are often hard to assess. 

So after the first hello, I look up and see none other than Eric R.  (Have to throw in the first name for you TW).  Totally random again.  What the fuck would ER being doing in Dan’s. 

And he points to JP.  ???  Both of us weary from our bike ride.  JP lives in Alameda and ER in San Fran, yet here we all are.  As I stated…one of those nights.

And they were there with some girlfriends who were having a similar evening.  Seeing people from highschool they hadn’t seen in fifteen years.

And I too actually ran into a  guy from Acalanes.  And believe it or not, it was really good chatting with him.

But back to JB.  He came back up to me and we started talking on a deeper level.  For whatever reason I was just completely unguarded and shared more than I ever would normally share.  He asked about Jamie and I told her that she had recently been out.  He thought she had a boyfriend, in which she did til ‘we’ thought ‘we’ might be something to feel out again.  At least for the time being. 

JB, after sharing his platonic feelings of sheer love for this girl, stated that he knows that her and I are going to end up together.  Not based on anything I said mind you.  He just looked at me calmly and said he knew it. 

Now coming from this cat who previously showed me no warmth, I was getting something totally different, and it wasn’t drunk talk since he wasn’t drunk. 

And then he said that he is going to send her a message to her saying as such.

And that is why I’m tying this whole thing to Slumdog as I am nearly falling asleep here.  Why did tonight happen?  Sure coincidences and all…  But, really.  A part of me seems to know things sometimes.  And a part of me, as I said, has this growing sense of a certain fate or connectedness of things.  JB very well may be contacting my ex.  And who  knows…  That may turn out to be something that tips the scale back…back to faith and purpose, as opposed to fear and randomness. 

I don’t know.  Life is a funny thing. 

So we will see what happens to these two kids.  Maybe nothing.  Maybe not.

BN

*By the way, the movie ends well.  I recommend seeing it.  Grade B+