 |
Friday, March 18, 2005
British 'Millions' is rich with hope, humor and thrills
British director Danny Boyle certainly can be counted on to surprise. After the successes of his "Shallow Grave" and "Trainspotting," he served up two disappointments: "The Beach" and "A Life Less Ordinary." Then he bounced back with the terrific horror/cautionary tale "28 Days Later."
 | MOVIE REVIEW | ||
| |||
The interesting thing about Boyle's films is just how different each is from the other. He's taken another successful leap into new territory with "Millions," a lovely and personal "small" movie that is perfect fare for the entire family.
Set at Christmas, that supposedly charitable time of the year, "Millions" is a modern fable about hope and miracles and a child's transition through grief toward an individual faith that allows him to let go of loss and embrace his independence. Lest this sound too somber, be assured that Boyle injects humor and a breathtaking visual palette.
Young Damien Cunningham (Alexander Etel) is mourning his mother's death by absorbing himself in the text "Six O'Clock Saints." His older brother, Anthony (Lewis McGibbon), is more pragmatic, concerned with the material life and aware of every change in the stock market and that over Christmas -- a couple of weeks away -- it's bye-bye to the old money system of pounds and pence and hello euro.
When their dad (James Nesbitt) moves them to the Manchester suburbs (Boyle's hometown) from their old family flat, the boys have to adjust to a new school, life and the pain of losing not only their mum, but all that was once familiar and secure. Damien builds a playhouse by the train tracks out of the moving boxes. Inside his private world, he is "visited" by visions -- St. Peter, St. Francis of Assisi, the Martyrs of Uganda -- who humorously and gently help the boy make decisions.
Then a bag full of cash comes crashing into his sanctuary and Damien, thinking the money is a miracle, begins helping the poor, much to his brother's consternation and his dad's surprise. He's also in danger from a threatening thief who was part of a daring heist.
Boyle bathes the screen in red, yellow, green and blue in the first half, showing us a world through a child's eyes, but then turns to murkier blues as darker elements prevail.
The film is thriller, comedy and rite-of-passage story, but Boyle never loses sight of what's at its core and, assisted by the heartbreaking, unpretentious Etel, thrusts us into a world seen from a child's point of view, rife with fears of the new and unknown.
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
· Second big-screen 'X-Files' production looks for believers in a changed world
· This time, the trip to revive 'Brideshead' is cut short this time
· 'CSNY: Deja Vu:' Go to a Neil Young show and a political rally might break out
· 'Step Brothers:' Will Ferrell needs a serious case of timeout
· 'The Stone Angel:' Ellen Burstyn's tour de force is heavenly yet sprawling
· Seattle Movie Events
· Limited Movie Runs
· DVDs: 'The X-Files: Revelations'
· Parents Film Guide
· Viggo Mortensen shooting a movie at Mount St. Helens
· DVDs: 'Anglo-Saxon Attitudes'
· DVDs: '21'
more· Amy Adams engaged to acting-class sweetie
· 'Wallace & Gromit' to become episodic video game
· Capsule reviews of 'Step Brothers' and other films
· Little to believe in with new 'X-Files' movie
· Bale asks for privacy in assault allegations
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
