filmland / By Charlie Myers

Floodgates Open

A flurry of fine films from 2008 finally arrives on our shores

(Jan. 22, 2009) Previews

Film fortune finally smiles upon filmslumdog Humboldt County. Opening Friday, Jan. 23 is Slumdog Millionaire (see review below); Milk (see review); Revolutionary Road, directed by Sam Mendes with Kate Winslet reunited with Leonardo DiCaprio in suburban angst (Rated R. 119m. At the Broadway); The Wrestler, featuring comeback kid Mickey Rourke as a pro wrestler well past his prime and Marisa Tomei as a stripper who befriends him (Rated R. 115m. At the Broadway); and Frost/Nixon, directed by Ron Howard with Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as David Frost sparring in the post-Watergate TV interviews (Rated R. 122m. At the Minor).

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Also opening Friday are Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the third installment in the series about the age-old battle between the Vampires and the Lycans featuring Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitry and Kate Beckinsale (Rated R. 92m. At the Broadway, Fortuna and Mill Creek) and the fantasy film Ink Heart, about 12-year-old Meggie (Eliza Bennett) and her father (Brendan Fraser) who can bring book characters to life. But there’s a grave danger in doing so. Rated PG. 106m. At the Broadway, Fortuna and Mill Creek.

The January “Based on the Book” film series at the Eureka Library concludes with Preston Sturges’ 1941 film Sullivan’s Travels, hosted by the Journal‘s Bob Doran. Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m.

Reviews

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: One of the side benefits of spending the holidays in Portland and Denver is that I get to see films that have not yet opened here (and some that may never make it). I therefore have a rare opportunity to review some films before they open locally, such as the gloriously exuberant Slumdog Millionaire, a film that should appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

British director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting; 28 Days Later), along with Indian co-director Loveleen Tandan and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day), has created a narrative rags-to-riches fable that manages to be exhilarating while focusing on the poverty and shattered lives of those who eke out a living in the slums of Mumbai.

The story focuses on Jamal Malik (Dey Patel), a young man from the slums who has made it to the final question of a popular Indian game show (modeled on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) only to be arrested by the police and accused of cheating. Clearly, no one of his background could answer correctly otherwise.

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