by Don Morton

Slumdog Millionaire
There’s been a whole lot written about this best picture Oscar-winner From Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later). It’s been described as magical, inventive, life-affirming, frightening, enriching, satirical, heartbreaking, exhilarating, breathless, exciting, startling, seductive, brutal, joyously sentimental and relentlessly positive, and it’s been categorized as a romance, a mystery and a thriller. And it’s all of these things. This is why we go to the movies. In fact, you’ll forget you’re at the movies. It’s about an 18-year-old slum orphan (Dev Patel) who has answered his way to the penultimate level of India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” The night before going for the final question, he is arrested, interrogated and beaten by security police convinced that he must be cheating. How could a child of the ghastly slums of Mumbai know these answers? He calmly, with only flashbacks as his weapons, explains how his education in the city’s school of hard knocks—along with his brother (Madhur Mittal) and life’s love (Freida Pinto)—prepared him for each answer. Charles Dickens would like this movie. Don’t miss the Bollywood number at the end.

Crime, drama/UK/English, Hindi (Japanese subtitles) 120 mins
Starring: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
Director: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan
Warner Bros. Pictures

Gran Torino
Picture Dirty Harry 40 years down the line, if Harry were a bigoted misanthrope, a Korean War vet and a retired Detroit auto worker who spews dated racial epithets and literally growls at things that displease him. Like the Hmong immigrants moving in to his neighborhood. Story has him reluctantly defending a neighbor kid (Bee Vang) and his sister (a great Ahney Her) From the street gangs, and becoming his neighbors’ unlikely champion. Clint Eastwood’s last acting role is an old-fashioned, effective and affecting melodrama, a cross-generational buddy movie and a fairly obvious parable. It breaks no new ground but it’s compulsively watchable. Though the movie seems pretty heavy-handed, this is subtle and perceptive filmmaking. It worked for me, right down to the unconventional resolution, about which I will say no more. No one could direct the iconic Eastwood like Eastwood, and this borders amusingly on self-parody. And it’s way funnier than most alleged comedies I’ve survived recently. Clint stars, produced and directed, and even warbles a song he wrote for the closing credits. It’s the kind of thing Steven Seagal thinks he can do. This movie will make your day.

Drama/US/English (Japanese subtitles) 116 mins
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang
Director: Clint Eastwood
Warner Bros.

Kansai Cinema Listings

UMEDA

TOHO CINEMAS UMEDA

(HEP NAVIO 7~9F) Tel: 06-6316-1312
Wed for women ¥1,000, Fri. first show ¥1,300.
first of every month ¥1,000.
http://www.toho.co.jp

www.tohotheater.jp

Dragonball Evolution
Australia
Marley and Me
Valkyrie
Bedtime Stories
Watchmen
The International
The Pink Panther 2
Twilight
Frost x Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
Burn After Reading
Max Payne
Grand Torino From May 1~
Beverly Hills Chiwawa
Duplicity From May 9~
Babylon A.D. From May 22~
State of Play From May 29~
Star Trek

UMEDA PICCADILLY

(Above Izumi-no Hiroba)
Tel: 06-6315-1414
Wed for women ¥1,000
www.shochiku-eigakan.com/

Valkyrie
Twilight
Gran Torino From May 30~
Confessions of a Shopholic

UMEDA BURG7

(South From Hansin Dep. Store, E-MA Build. 7~13F)
06-4795-7602
Wed for women ¥1,000, after 21:00 ¥1,200,
except Sat every first of the month ¥1,000
www.t-joy.net

The International
Milk
Watchmen From May 9~
Bangkok Dangerous From May 14~
Angels and Demons From May 16~
Hannah Montana 3-D From May 22~
State of Play From May 29~
Star Trek

UMEDA GARDEN CINEMA

(Umeda Sky Build. Tower East 4F)
¥1,000, every first of the month ¥1,000
www.kadokawa-gardencinema.jp

Slumdog Millionaire
Then She Found Me
RockNRolla

CINE LIEBRE UMEDA

(Umeda Sky Build. Tower East 3F)
Tel: 06-6440-5930
Wed for women ¥1,000, first of the month ¥1,000
www.cinelibre.jp

The Life Before Her Eyes
Rachel Getting Married From May 9~
The Code
Terror Train From Apr 18~

THEATER UMEDA

(Umeda Loft B1F) 06-6359-1080
on Wed for women ¥1,000, on Tue for men ¥1,000,
first of the month ¥1,000
.

The Dutchess
Black, White and Grey

MINAMI

TOHO CINEMAS NAMBA

(8F, 3-8-9, Chuo-ku, Osaka) Tel: 06-6647-5705
Wed for women ¥1,000
www.tohotheater.jp/theater/namba

Marley and Me
Watchmen
Frost x Nixon
Twilight
The International
The Dutchess
The Pink Panther 2
Slumdog Millionaire
Max Payne
Burn After Reading
Gran Torino From May 1~
Beverly Hills Chiwawa
Duplicity From May 9~
Babylon A.D. From May 15~
Angels and Demons From May 22~
State of Play From May 29~
Star Trek

NAMBA PARKS CINEMA

Inside Namba Park 6F, 8F, 9F
Tel: 06-6643-3215.
Wed for women ¥1,000. All movies after 8pm ¥1,200

Watchmen
Twilight
The International
Slumdog Millionaire
The Punisher: War Zone
Burn After Reading
Gran Torino From May 15~
Angels and Demons From May 16~
17 Again From May 22~
State of Play From May 29~
Star Trek From May 30~
Confessions of a Shopaholic

CINE POP

(1-2-3 Sennichimae 2-11-5 Shikishima Build.)
Tel: 06-6641-3719
Wed for women ¥1,000, Fri. first show ¥1,300,
first of the month ¥1,000

Max Payne
The Pink Panther 2
Valkyrie

KYOTO

KYOTO CINEMA

(Cocon Torimaru Bldg. 3F, Shijo-Kudaru, Torimaru-dori.)
Tel: 075(353)4723
Wed. for women: ¥1,000, every first of the month ¥1000

Lou Reed’s Berling
Milk
Rachel Getting Married From May 2~
The Times of Harvey Milk From May 9~
This is England

MOVIX KYOTO

(Nakagyo-ku, Shinkyogoku, Sanjyo-sagaru, Sakuranomachi 400banchi) Tel: 075(254)3215
Wed for women ¥1,000, every first of the month ¥1,000.
http://www.movix.jp

Valkyrie
The Punisher: War Zone
Yesman
Burn After Reading
Watchmen
Twilight
Gran Torino From May 15~
Angels and Demons From May 16~
17 Again From May 22~
State of Play From May 29~
Star Trek From May 30~
Confessions of a Shopaholic

KOBE

OS CINE MINT KOBE

(Inside MINT Kobe 9-12F)
Tel: 078-291-5330
Tue. for women ¥1,000, Fri. first show ¥1,300 every first of the month ¥1,000

Watchmen
The International
The Pink Panther 2
The Dutchess
Burn After Reading From May 15~
Angels and Demons From May 22~
State of Play From May 29~
Star Trek

KOBE KOKUSAI SHOCHIKU

(Chuo-ku, Goko-dori 8-1-6 Kobe Kokusai Kaikan, 11F)
Tel: 078-230-3580
Tue for women ¥1,000, first of the month ¥1,000.
www.shochiku.co.jp/cinema/theaters

Valkyrie
Yesman
Twilight
Gran Torino From May 29~
Star Trek

SANNOMIYA CINE PHONEIX

(Harborland Mosaic 3F) TEL: 078-360-7000
Tue for women ¥1,000

Paris
Milk From May 1~
Duplicity

CINE MOSAIC

(Harborland Mosaic 3f) TEL: 078-360-7000
Tue for women ¥1,000, Fri first show ¥1,300

Dragonball Evolution
Burn After Reading From May 1~
Beverly Hills Chiwawa From May 15~
Angels and Demons

CINELIVRE KOBE

(Chou-ku, Namihana-cho 59) Tel: 078-334-2126
Tue for women ¥1,000, every first of the month ¥1,000.
http://www.nikkatsu.com

Slumdog Millionaire
Frost x Nixon
The Life Before Her Eyes From May 9~
The Code

**NOTE
Films and show times are subject to change without notice. Call in advance to check and verify times.

Compiled by Maki Nibayashi