The kids and I watched the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” last night. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/slumdog-millionaire
“What's the story?
In SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, Jamal (Dev Patel) is an 18-year-old tea service worker for a telecommunications company who has somehow managed to make it to the second-to-last question on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? He's dragged in for questioning by the police, who want to know how he's cheating -- which, in their eyes, is the only way an uneducated boy from the slums like him could possibly be winning. Beaten but unbowed, Jamal tells his interrogators stories from his life that explain why he knows the answers. He also talks about the long-lost love of his life, Latika (Freida Pinto), who he's trying to get in touch with and save through the unlikely mechanism of being on the show.”
“Talk to your kids
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Families can talk about the nature of Indian society -- from class to religious conflict to the nation's role as a growing economic superpower -- and about the way the film depicts hard work, good morals, and quick wits. Are they seen as virtues?
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Discuss the film's depiction of the differences -- and similarities -- between Indian culture and American culture. How are they different? What do they have in common?
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What does the movie say about the growing process of globalization? What does it mean when British customer service calls are answered in India? Or when an English game show becomes immensely popular in a completely different nation?”
Tonight we watched a documentary called “Facebook Follies”. It sparked much food for thought and discussions afterwards. http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episode/facebook-follies.html
“Facebook Follies is a one-hour documentary that takes a look at the unexpected consequences of people sharing their personal information on social media. Viewers meet people who lost their jobs, their marriages, their dignity, or who even ended up in jail - all because of their own or someone else’s Facebook posting. To give a broader context to the events, these stories are intercut with reflections from experts in the areas of social change, internet security and contemporary media.”
