Slumdog Millionaire
Dir: Danny Boyle
Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal
A perverse combination of a realistic depiction of the slums of India and modern fairytale, Slumdog Millionaire is arguably Danny Boyle’s greatest achievement since Trainspotting. While there are certainly moments that hearken back to that early masterwork (there is another diving into a toilet scene that has to be seen to be believed), this is a different beast entirely. The story is unashamedly romantic, but with a dark edge. The plot concerns a young man from the slums of India who unexpectedly wins the national version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, but is forced to prove to the police that he didn’t cheat when the show’s host can’t believe than an uneducated youngster could win the series. He must then explain how he knows each answer and in doing so tells his life story, from an orphan childhood spent sleeping in abandoned huts through to the crime-filled underworld that he lives in today.

The depictions of contemporary India are quite disturbing, but not enough to make the film unbearable. This is ultimately a fairytale love story that builds to a romantic and thoroughly satisfying happy ending. Danny Boyle’s subversive sense of humor and unflinching depiction of the underbelly of humanity keeps the story grounded in a harsh reality and prevents the fantasy elements from making the film silly. This little movie should be a pleasant surprise for audiences when it is released this year. It has the potential to be a sleeper hit (despite some box office killing subtitles) and may even end up with a statue or two during awards season. Don’t miss this one.

Adam Resurrected
Directed by Paul Schrader
Starring Jeff Goldblum, Willam DeFoe, Derek Jacobi
A movie starring Jeff Goldblum as a clown in the holocaust directed by Paul Schrader should have been a darkly comic masterpiece. Unfortunately, Schrader no longer self-censors and fills his movies with symbols and statements that are about as subtle as a swift kick to the nuts and twice as painful.