I’ve just come from a meeting with Danny Boyle, the relentlessly creative filmmakers responsible for Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, The Beach, 28 Days Later, and now what is sure to become a treasured favorite of many… Millions.

He’s just as enthusiastic in person as you would suspect from his adrenalin-rush films. But it’s not just manic energy… it’s an energy born of passion and enthusiasm for his work. Millions is his first “family-friendly” film, and it’s a keeper. Thrilling, imaginative, and the big heart that it wears on its sleeve manages to beat loudly without falling into overly predictable rhythms. It’s emotional without being sappy, moving without being manipulative.

I was a fan before, and I’m a bigger fan now. Boyle’s an honest, approachable, affable fellow who isn’t afraid to admit that he values art AND entertainment, and he doesn’t even flinch at the idea that he’s viewed as a popular entertainer. He likes to cloak his work in the trappings of popular entertainment, and then surprise people by “smuggling” in challenging ideas that the viewer doesn’t expect, so that they go away surprised, challenged, and even bewildered, saying to themselves, “What exactly happened in there?”

My review, and my interview, will be posted at Christianity Today Movies soon.

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