[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button vs Slumdog Millionaire]
Having watched eight time award winning Slumdog Millionaire, I also made it a point to catch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button since Minister had talked a little about it during lunch on Monday.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is indeed very post modern. I think it is something that SMU students who are known to do things differently can identify with.

In essence, the one thing that the show is about the topic of time. A very simple thing that everyone can relate to. I think the act of making a the clock that turns backwards has significance and reflects the life of Benjamin Button. The clock finally stops when Benjamin Button dies in the end and is shown in the last scene.

The concept of post modernism is about questioning the existence of things in a particular manner. Does it mean that a baby cannot be old? Can life start from the end and end in the beginning? Whoever said that a clock has to move forward? How about one that moves back in time?

There are also several parallels between The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire. It is obvious that both movies are flashbacks and about the life of a main character. One uses a diary to tell a tale, while the other is centered around a game show.

While Slumdog Millionaire scores with its excellent cinematography - I liked the aerial shots best - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button does well with the surreal scenes of the sea.

In terms of the music Slumdog Millionaire has more hip hop sounds with Indian influences while The Curious Case of Benjamin Button soothes with its platter of classical tunes.

One is a frank portrayal of the suburbs of India while the other is a musty old film about the war years and beyond. It is difficult to say which is better but each has a different flavour of its own.