Danny Boyle has directed some great movies over the past twenty or so years, plus countless theatre productions (Did anyone else get a chance to see his National Theatre Frankenstein in movie theaters? It was awesome.), so I was really excited when it was announced he was going to be the guy behind the Opening Ceremonies of this summer’s Olympics games.
Danny Boyle with Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman, Sebatian Coe, and Executive Producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Stephen Daldry. Photo credit – AP
In honor of the hard work he put into the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night, here’s a quick look at my two favorite Boyle films.
- I think that Sunshine is a completely underrated sci-fi flick. Written by Boyle’s 28 Days Later collaborator, Alex Garland, it manages to balance the mission at at hand – drop a bomb to re-ignite the sun – with being a psychological thriller about highly intelligent scientists facing their worst fears. The cast is a solid mix of international actors including Cillian Murphy, a pre-Captain America Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, and Cliff Curtis.
- Slumdog Millionaire was one of the biggest movies of 2008 and with good reason. Starring Dev Patel (who will always be Anwar to me) as Jamal, a young man who has made it to the final round as a contestant on India’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. When he’s accused of cheating, Jamal recounts the events in his life that have led him to knowing answers he, a kid from the slums, shouldn’t know. The movie is based on the book Q&A by Vikas Swarup and features a fantastic score by AR Rahman, who also contributed to the music during the Opening Ceremonies
Some of his other films to check out:
Shallow Grave Trainspotting A Life Less Ordinary The Beach 28 Days Later Millions 127 Hours– Jess, who is on her first beach vacation in about fifteen years this week
Eleventh Stack 