Recent Reviews for Millions
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MCT:September 11, 2008Its a proper birtish film..
it was kinda major in england but it was not a mega outside the island of britain..
The filming of this movie is very odd, different from the other films..
its not really a good movie but i guess it was worth to watch... -
MCT:September 10, 2008In film parlance, feel-good is a term that would appear to describe a movie which is badly acted, badly plotted, sentimental and asinine. Millions is all these things and so much more, or more correctly, less. A young boy discovers a bag filled with hundreds of thousands of pounds-worth of bank notes, and after informing his brother of the discovery, the pair set out on a spending crusade. Don't be fooled by the all right-sounding set-up, this is British film at it's worst, the kind that makes you yearn for the eye-scratchingly awful Run, Fat Boy, Run. The brothers, the younger of which has an odd habit of seeing saints every now and then, don't really do anything with the money. Extravagant purchases are not on the agenda for these young chaps. The entire point of the film disappears as the boys, from a relatively early stage in proceedings, repeatedly have attacks of conscience about what to do with it. It barely helps of course that they could be acted off screen by a comatose Orlando Bloom, but then the adult characters are barely better. James Nesbitt probably comes out with the greatest credit for more or less managing a miscellaneous northern accent, but that's about it. Even the solid talents of Nesbitt cannot bring credibility to a pathetically brief romantic sub-plot, nor can the cast as a whole create comedy from a script that was at some point, probably intended to be funny. This being a feel-good film, the ending ladles on the emotion and moralising, with the final frames a triumph in cringe. Feel-good film-making it seems, is alive and well.
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MCT:September 6, 2008It's not as good as i thought it would be. Not so many things that are likeable from this movie afterall. The main character is the most interesting one however. Although, I didn't find him very likeable either. He's likeable but not that much likeable. But the biggest flaw of the movie is, I think, the plot. It jumps from here to there, but seems didn't meet any good point afterall in the ending. A bit loss in its jumps.
But what I like from the movie is the reality of how money can take you to a different places where you are not yourself. It can change people instantly. I love how the boy deals with all the money, and showing his weakness (or whatever it's called) in dealing with his mother's death.
But in the end, I didn't feel it's that well concluded. Maybe just not my cup of tea of endings.
Love the images btw. It's beautiful. -
MCT:August 29, 2008After directing the Scottish junkies' tale "Trainspotting" and the zombie horror story "28 Days Later," the latest from Danny Boyle is a real departure. "Millions" is the story of Damian Cunningham, a pious young dreamer who walks and talks with saints. When a huge satchel of money falls out of the sky, he assumes it came from Heaven. This is a charming movie with a tender story, and whimsical visuals. (Keep your eye on the saints' halos!) There are moments of comedy, of suspense, and thought-provoking elements. One scene has St. Peter giving a theory on how the miracle of the loaves and the fishes may have really happened. Above all, "Millions" may make you think about being more charitable. Whether that was Boyle's original intention is not clear, but it's a very nice sentiment.
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MCT:August 19, 2008It's December, and by the New Year Britain will have switched currency to the Euro, rendering any leftover cash utterly useless. Quite a problem then for seven year old Damian, who is left with over a quarter of a million pounds after a mystery bag falls from the sky into his back garden den.
'Millions' is a surprisingly funny, smart and heart-warming family-film from director Danny Boyle, and a long way off the director's previous works of hard-drug use or gruesome zombies. The direction is pitch-perfect, drawing lines between drama and comedy with surprising ease to create this touching and unique fable that teaches a sensible lesson without ever pushing us into forced agreement.
With only twelve days to go, Damian and his older brother, Anthony, set about getting rid of this vast amount of money, purchasing the latest games, phones and clothes plus a few amusing perks. Having recently lost their mother, the lads' dad fails to pick up on his son's unusual behaviour until Damian drops £1000 into the schools charity bin; it kick-starts a chain of events in which he is determined to help those more in need of the cash.
The two younger actors are extremely impressive; Alex Etel shows plenty of promise as Damian, the audience admiring his innocence and naivety while aware of the dangers it poses, especially when a stranger arrives in town looking for a bag of stolen money. To see how a young boy reacts to the powers of money in modern society, and to watch how he would free-willingly hand it to others and experience pleasure from doing so provides a startlingly affecting role model, neither a patronising nor preachy one; it's hard to disagree with much of the lads logic.
Damian's obsession with Saints provides the backbone of his search to help the poor, who are surprisingly sparse where he lives. He ponders over his mother and where she would be now, and wondering if she too, is a saint. The boy discovers more discreet or unorthodox ways of doing good, providing several of the film's quirky and humorous moments.
'Millions' is a clever little tale about the state of our consumerist society, but also as a poignant drama on how a young boy deals with the loss of his mother. The bouncy score and endless imaginative style of the film almost transports us back to our own childhood games and quests, where everything seemed a lot less daunting, or imposing. The film doesn't exactly exist in reality, but an enchanting parallel world where the morality tales are easily carried over, and where the message is no lessening, or real. -
MCT:August 18, 2008I loved the lead. He is perfect, spot-on. But everyone else just wasn't. No one else seemed to ring true to their characters. For some reason I did not find them that likable. I wanted so much from this movie, and I can't help feeling Ebert's review had me expecting too much. I did start bawling towards the end. Love the song at the last scene.
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MCT:August 18, 2008
There is one thing i should mention about this movie:
Alex did a very great performance as Damien.
What a talented boy !! -
MCT:July 24, 2008
Let me start this with the bad point - Jimmy Nisbitt, one of Britains most talented actors, has had everything 'Jimmy Nesbitt' taken out of him, including his accent, which is such a big part of his character.
Now for the good parts - both young lads acted really well, in particular Alex Etel who played the main character of the story. The film itself is quite creative graphically which helps to show the boy's imagination well.
This is a very easy watching film, light viewing for all the family, not at all what you would expect from the Director of Trainspotting. -
MCT:July 20, 2008Millions (2004)
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan«Damian Cunningham: [voiceover] The French have said au revoir to the franc, the Germans have said auf wiedersehen to the mark, and the Portuguese have said... whatever to their thing.»
Millions tells the story of 7-year-old Damian, whose family moves to the suburbs of Manchester after the death of his mother. Soon after the move, Damian's "hermitage" is obliterated by a bag of money flung from a passing train. Damian immediately shows the money to his brother, Anthony, and the two begin thinking of what to do with it. Anthony, the selfish one, wants the money only for himself and his entertainment.
Damian, the kind-hearted and religious of the two, had recently overheard three Latter Day Saint missionaries lecture other members of the community on building foundations of rock rather than foundations of sand, an old Christian principle which dictates that self-worth should be based on spirituality rather than worldly things like money and wealth. The lecture inspires Damian, who is particularly enamoured with the missionaries because of the name of their church; Damian is obsessed with saints, studying their biographies and even seeing them in his day-to-day activities as visions. He immediately begins looking for ways to give his share of the money to the poor.
Very underrated and really unknown, but in fact this film is a real gem. The story is perfect, the acting is great and I really loved the idea that we were meant to receive after we have seen this movie. It's a typical family film; two boys find a box of money and they both are trying to spend the money, each their own way. The older one spends it on sweets, cloth and many other different items. The younger one though is a typical dreamer; he believes in god, he prays, he studies bible and he reads about all the different missionaries. He also has a really good imagination; he always seems to talk to different people who in fact, do not exist. So as he receives the money, he decides to give it to the poor ones. But who are the poor ones these days? Obviously, that the young kid like him has no idea what poor people look like and basically, he follows his own mind and gives out the money to everyone who he thinks would really need them.
Typically, if any of us would have received this kind of money, we would have probably spent it on every single thing we wished for at this point of our life. This movie lets us see our imagination transfer into reality of this film, some of us will find the stuff that kids buying absolutely ridiculous, but some of us will often smile when they see what kids purchased or how they spend it. This film tells us what's right and what's wrong, why money is so important in our lives and why we usually spend something that by accident becomes ours, but in fact it wasn't earned by us in the first place. The scene before the very last one is very sad, yet beautiful. It shows that someone who has absolutely no idea what money can make to people decides to leave them out of his own life. It makes us think: is money really that important? Yes, today's world depends on money, but there are much more important things in this world such as: love, family, and happiness. If you can be happy with no money in your life, you are indeed a very lucky person. Truth is though, that there is hardly anybody that is happy in this world, even with money in their lives, not talking about people without them.
Alex Etel is amazing as Damian Cunningham. He really is a very young and talented actor and I absolutely loved his performance in this film. Lewis McGibbon plays his older brother, and he also does really well. James Nesbitt and Daisy Donovan played a perfect couple. Nesbitt is great as Damian's father Ronnie. He is a natural actor and he looks really experienced. Daisy Donovan is also good and she is kind of funny when she first appears in Damian's school.
This film is not that famous I must admit, but if you get hold of it, you will be really surprised when you see it because it shows us a very good example of something, that we should never forget.
Review Date: 4th of May, 2008.
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MCT:July 13, 2008
One of the best films to feature children in the leading roles ever. It captures the feel of the book perfectly.
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MCT:July 8, 2008Great movie for the whole family. This kid is so precious, I'm sure they must have coated him with sugar.
"It's not strange.... it's unusual." -
MCT:July 3, 2008
Another film that chooses to use a child's naive perspective in an adult world. Like always, the protagonist finds himself in a situation way beyond his maturity level and his naivety is used both as a source of amusement and terror for the audience. The film's obvious charms are in the central character and his foil of a brother, who together create a fun and contrasting dynamic. Still, this film has no bite. There are areas that are a lot of fun, particularly the shopping spree, which can only be explained by the fact that it is complete and mindless escapism, only enjoyable because the audience knows the consequences will never reach their full severity in a child's movie. But as a whole, it's just a little too sweet.
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MCT:June 22, 2008
totally brilliant (esp the scottish accents). The lil boy's a saint! This movie puts forward important social hypotheses like: What if every kindergarden kid gave 2 pennies about the 3rd world; What if the pound were to expire in a week; What if the Saints appeared like ObiWan; What if a cardbox box could turn into a rocket, etc. Result!
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MCT:June 22, 2008Millions (2004)
Directed by Danny Boyle
Starring Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan«Damian Cunningham: [voiceover] The French have said au revoir to the franc, the Germans have said auf wiedersehen to the mark, and the Portuguese have said... whatever to their thing.»
Millions tells the story of 7-year-old Damian, whose family moves to the suburbs of Manchester after the death of his mother. Soon after the move, Damian's "hermitage" is obliterated by a bag of money flung from a passing train. Damian immediately shows the money to his brother, Anthony, and the two begin thinking of what to do with it. Anthony, the selfish one, wants the money only for himself and his entertainment.Damian, the kind-hearted and religious of the two, had recently overheard three Latter Day Saint missionaries lecture other members of the community on building foundations of rock rather than foundations of sand, an old Christian principle which dictates that self-worth should be based on spirituality rather than worldly things like money and wealth. The lecture inspires Damian, who is particularly enamoured with the missionaries because of the name of their church; Damian is obsessed with saints, studying their biographies and even seeing them in his day-to-day activities as visions. He immediately begins looking for ways to give his share of the money to the poor.
Very underrated and really unknown, but in fact this film is a real gem. The story is perfect, the acting is great and I really loved the idea that we were meant to receive after we have seen this movie. It's a typical family film; two boys find a box of money and they both are trying to spend the money, each their own way. The older one spends it on sweets, cloth and many other different items. The younger one though is a typical dreamer; he believes in god, he prays, he studies bible and he reads about all the different missionaries. He also has a really good imagination; he always seems to talk to different people who in fact, do not exist. So as he receives the money, he decides to give it to the poor ones. But who are the poor ones these days? Obviously, that the young kid like him has no idea what poor people look like and basically, he follows his own mind and gives out the money to everyone who he thinks would really need them.
Typically, if any of us would have received this kind of money, we would have probably spent it on every single thing we wished for at this point of our life. This movie lets us see our imagination transfer into reality of this film, some of us will find the stuff that kids buying absolutely ridiculous, but some of us will often smile when they see what kids purchased or how they spend it. This film tells us what's right and what's wrong, why money is so important in our lives and why we usually spend something that by accident becomes ours, but in fact it wasn't earned by us in the first place. The scene before the very last one is very sad, yet beautiful. It shows that someone who has absolutely no idea what money can make to people decides to leave them out of his own life. It makes us think: is money really that important? Yes, today's world depends on money, but there are much more important things in this world such as: love, family, and happiness. If you can be happy with no money in your life, you are indeed a very lucky person. Truth is though, that there is hardly anybody that is happy in this world, even with money in their lives, not talking about people without them.
Alex Etel is amazing as Damian Cunningham. He really is a very young and talented actor and I absolutely loved his performance in this film. Lewis McGibbon plays his older brother, and he also does really well. James Nesbitt and Daisy Donovan played a perfect couple. Nesbitt is great as Damian's father Ronnie. He is a natural actor and he looks really experienced. Daisy Donovan is also good and she is kind of funny when she first appears in Damian's school.
This film is not that famous I must admit, but if you get hold of it, you will be really surprised when you see it because it shows us a very good example of something, that we should never forget.
Review Date: 4th of May, 2008.
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MCT:May 16, 2008
Millions is an endlessly whimsical and thoroughly delightful little fable that transforms potentially saccharine drivel into irresistible whimsy. In sly, sweet and frequently funny terms, Danny Boyle pleads a compelling case for the fundamental goodness of mankind. An inventive, delightful family film.
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MCT:April 23, 2008
Great movie for kids to watch. It's every kids dream and even adults dreams to have that much money.
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MCT:April 6, 2008
why can't anybody make a movie for kids like they used to? this is a prime example of another this day an age childrens flick. no fucking imagination. another pile of rotting dog turd! wishy-washy retarded crap. to think this vomit was spewed by danny boyle. i can't even be bothered with constructive criticism as this wasn't constructive itself at all
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MCT:March 25, 2008
"The French have said au revoir to the franc, the Germans have said auf wiedersehen to the mark, and the Portuguese have said... whatever to their thing."
This film was really quite touching. The lead, Alex Etel, was brilliant and I look forward to seeing his future work. There were a few cool effects (what is the fascination that Boyle has with plumbing, attics and construction about anyway?) Oh, and the saints were groovy. -
MCT:March 2, 2008
Cute movie about a kid who finds loads of cash, and the best thing he can think of to do with it is give it to Mormon missionaries. Sweet!
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MCT:February 26, 2008
lovely little film that i had never heard of before. a total surprise. loved it. any boys fantasy. check it out.
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MCT:January 25, 2008
Feel good flick, charming kid albeit preoccupied with Catholic saints. A tale of how one kid's ethics stands firm in spite of worldly pressure
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MCT:January 19, 2008
Absolutely wonderful and heartwarming! I don't even mind the saint stuff, hehe. The kid in this is fantastic!
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MCT:January 14, 2008
Witty, sweet and charming without ever being sappy. Danny Boyle's most humane and inspirational effort. The kind of film that makes you smile even in the shittiest of days.
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MCT:January 7, 2008
This was ok. A little weird at times but the story was good.
The ending was a little weak for me and in the end I didn't think there was much to take with you as the credits rolled. -
MCT:December 29, 2007
Brilliant!!! you gottah watch this movie. It looks like one of those kids movie but I think it's not only for the kids.. Great story line! I liked it.. the problems with money and family stuffs.. Have really good messages in it. I really recommend this one.
