NOW PLAYING

Given my new love affair with New York, and my long-time relationship with the theatre, I'm stoked about Charlie Kaufman's SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK at Tinseltown: "A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play."

I've also been waiting forever for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, the latest of Danny Boyle's variations on the theme of getting-rich-quick: "The story of how impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik became a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be A Millionaire?" Curiously, there's but one showing, Sunday morning 10am at the Park. And it sounds like they provide breakfast? I'll let you know more when I do. (Mark Moring of CT Movies writes "The best movie of the week—and one of the best of the year—is SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, the latest from acclaimed director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Millions). In the film, an unrepentantly optimistic and magical work of art, a teen from India's slums becomes a contestant on a game show and finds himself on the cusp of untold riches. Reviewer Brandon Fibbs gives the movie 4 stars.")

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS (Holocaust through the eyes of a German officer's son) is new at the Fifth Avenue. Soul Foodie Peter Mogan calls RACHEL GETTING MARRIED "nothing short of brilliant," invokes Vinterberg's THE CELEBRATION: that's at Tinseltown, Fifth Ave, Esplanade. Peter also raves I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (at the Park), tantalizing us with this insistence; "You must see this movie asap. I can't tell you why but when you see it, it'll make sense as to why and why I can't tell you. French with subtitles. Currently at the Park. Seriously, you must see this." He says Kristin Scott Thomas is brilliant in it, and also in TELL NO ONE (Fifth Ave, Ridge), describing "great twists and turns without Hollywood melodrama."

BURN AFTER READING (Coen comedy, classy cast) continues to smolder at the Scotiabank, and Long(-running) DARK KNIGHT fights on at Granville 7.

And of course we're looking forward to DOUBT, adapted by John Patrick Shanley from his brilliant Pulitzer Prize play, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. How I wanted to stage this at Pacific Theatre! But who would dare after that? Limited release December 12, should hit Vancouver by sometime in January at the latest.

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Busy fall, so I missed a few I'd wanted to see, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED and MIRACE AT ST ANNA among them. (Let me know of any more you'd flag). We'll keep a lookout for the DVD releases. Relatively recent adds to Videomatica shelves with possibly significant levels of Soul Food content would be IN BRUGES, SON OF RAMBOW, REDBELT, DANTE'S INFERNO, and most definitely SILENT LIGHT, the year's Soul Food masterpiece (but don't go looking for car chases or explosions - makes a swell double feature with ORDET, if that gives you any idea).