Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle's critically acclaimed film, [update - eight Oscars no less], is set in Mumbai.  It tells the fairytale story of how an impoverished Indian teen, from the slums of Mumbai, Jamal Malik, becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?"  (not because he's trying to win the money, but because he wants to prove his love for his friend Latika, who is a fan of the show).   The film shows how his life has prepared him for this moment, teaching him the things he needs to know to answer all the questions put to him.   The film has its own energy and rhythm, and gives you a glimpse into the city of Mumbai.  The only oddity is that everyone speaks English, but then if they didn't I couldn't feature it.

More here

Brideshead Revisited Maybe the film should be called Brideshead Revisited Revisited, because there was a very successful TV mini series in the 1980s.  Based on the novel of the same name, by the English writer Evelyn Waugh, it is set in England prior to the Second World War.  The story is told  by Charles Ryder, […]

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Based on the book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, this is a children's film, but any light-hearted adult can enjoy it.Inside a snowflake, like the one on your sleeve, there happened a story you must see to believe.Inside a snowflake there exists the magical land of Whoville. In […]

Quantum of Solace Based on a short story of the same name by Ian Fleming, it's a sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale.  In fact it starts only an hour after the conclusion to Casino Royale, where Bond is involved in a car chase in Siena, Italy.   They discover that there are agents in […]

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People A British writer, Sidney Young, struggles to fit in at a high-profile magazine in New York.  He is a disillusioned intellectual who both adores and despises the world of celebrity, fame and glamour. His alternative magazine, Post Modern Review, pokes fun at the media obsessed stars and bucks […]

Ballet Shoes Ballet shoes is based on the Noel Streatfield book of the same name.  It tells the story of three girls in 1930s London.  just after the First World War, Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil are orphans, and they are adopted by an excentric explorer, Professor Brown known as "Gum" and raised as sisters […]