MONEYBALL

As promised, I have seen MONEYBALL! Before I review this fantastic film, and Brad Pitt's perfect blue eyes, I NEED to discuss the 'Snow White' films' trailers. Snow White and Huntsman looks rather superb with the beautiful and sexy Charlize Theron (as the evil queen) and hearthrobe Tom Hardy (obviously the huntsman), I'm in too good a mood to mention the 'actress' playing Snow White; the fact that Snow White is supposed to be more beautiful than the queen just ADDS insult to injury. Anyway, this looks like a seriously enjoyable fantasy/action flick, and let's be honest, those don't come very often. The other Snow White film looks like a farce. Julia Roberts is ever so charming and Lily Collins is a GREAT Snow White, and the overly stylish set is really quite perfect for a farce... it's supposed to be FUNNY, and satirical, peepsicles, GET THE JOKE! How does it look 'atrocious'? Earthlings these days...

ANYWAY, MONEYBALL is great. As the plot thickens, the pace increases and the drama develops convincingly; the second half of the film is particularly suspenseful and captivating. The script, co-written by Social Network's Aaron Sorkin, is superb. The dialogue is witty and humorous, and REALISTIC. The film itself is not an OVER-THE-TOP, HOLLYWOOD 'underdog' story, it is a simple story of how real people struggle and STRUGGLE to defy the odds and, in may ways, 'change the face of baseball'. There are no melodramatic 'inspirational' speeches, the script is powerful as it doesn't dramatize the story - Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman don't have a scene where they kiss and make up - it's all explicitly implied (see what I did there?).

Please put your hands together for OSCAR WINNING ACTOR Brad Pitt... well I hope that's the case anyway. Brad Pitt shows us how underrated he is as  DRAMATIC actor (as in, someone who can do serious dramas). I mean, it's understandable, he's SO GORGE (gorgeous)! Throughout the entire 133 minutes - he NEVER looks bad, which is saying A LOT, considering he wears track pants for most of the film. He displays an extensive range of emotions without ever OVER-ACTING; when he's frustrated he throws something or breaks something (usually a radio) and when he hears his daughter sing, his watery eyes... well, is there a sight as lovely and emotional? And even though his blue eyes pierce through you, you don't see Brad Pitt - you see a manager desperate to win a 'losing' game (and haven't we all been there once... or twice.. or more). The superSTAR disappeares completely and that's why he should take the Oscar home.

BY THE WAY, the girl who plays his daughter has such a clear and sweet voice, neat sub-plot, LOVE IT when a film introduces quirky little details; like Roger Ebert once said, "The more specific a film is, the more universal, because the more it understands individual characters, the more it applies to everyone".

The film is about Baseball, and how Baseball players are like commodities - the most popular players get the highest wages. Brad Pitt's character uses the loop holes of this system and forms a team that includes great, undervalued players. So of course it's a story about defiance, having faith and fighting for what you believe in, but for me - it is so much more. Like Baseball players, the things that matter in life only matter because we care about them and is that really so bad? I mean, yes, the system works - the stastical way of choosing players changes Baseball, but no team gets to hog the championship year after year. So really, the BEST may not be the most popular, but then again, what is the best?

P.S. Jonah Hill is quite charming as the nerdy economist/analyst.... actually, the whole cast is wonderful (and oh don't forget the 'players' hehe). ALSO, I adore the use of real footages -sweet touch! OMG WHAT THE HUNTSMAN IS CHRIS HEMSWORTH, ok now the movie just went down a few places on my list... thank you  HOLLYWOOD, thanks!

CONTAGION

Greetings!
Yes, as promised, I have seen CONTAGION, and my god... I LOVE it! I tend to like these 'civilisation in crisis' films (for example, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW), but they're usually not well made. I mean, they tend to be melodramatic and not very 'involving'. CONTAGION, with its superb cast, is THRILLING and emotionally involving... we actually care about the characters, especially Kate Winslet's character... that woman!

UNFORTUNATELY, I did miss the first 20 minutes or so... not that it matters too much, but apparently I missed an interesting montage and an autopsy, DARN! Also, I would like to say that the WATER bottle that I bought was WAY over-priced... seriously, we need to do something about this! Okay, back on track. It's not that Contagion does anything 'new', it's that the director has deadly precision and the film is well paced. As the film progresses, we become more and more involved, and whilst we are enticed by every scene - we can't help but wonder 'what will happen next?' I think the film is 'scary' in that it hits close to home, we (well, I) have lived through the H1N1 and the Swine Flu outbreaks... I still remember how paranoid I was... it's justified - I was In Asia during the H1N1 outbreak.

There is really no point in discussing the plot, which is actually EXTREMELY tight and the 'exposition' scenes are cut short - ensuring no boredom. Whilst the film is about an EPIDEMIC, the dim lighting makes us feel claustrophobic and trapped, and the 'rumbling' music further carries this tension and momentum. As said,  the film is very well casted, oh AND some people have been slamming Jude Law for his Australian accent, yes, it is half British- Half Australian, BUT some people do speak like that (I would know, I live in Australia). The cast manages to forge an emotional connection with the audience (we empathise with and worry for MOST of them) within relatively short screen time, and that is another feature that DISTINGUISHES this 'disaster' film [from others].

Lastly, the film has a great balance of the good, the bad and even the ugly. No melodrama here.

I think if I had to rate it I would give it 8/8.5, but if I based this rating on how much I enjoyed it... probably a 9 or a 10... yes, I'm indecisive, DEAL WITH IT!

P.S. when was the last time you washed your hands? Actually, has anyone touched you or coughed in your presence in the last ten days? If yes... oooh. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Shining... shining... shining

FREE AT LAST! Well hello BEAUTIFUL READERS, it is time to start posting again! AND NOW THAT I AM FREED OF MY HUMAN BONDS... I'm kidding, I'm not CALYPSO, but I am FREE! Now, hopefully, in the next few weeks - I will be able to watch MONEYBALL and CONTAGION (AT LEAST), and if I'm fortunate... perhaps IDES OF MARCH and who knows... that's about it. A VERY BUSY 2 WEEKS.

I need to CATCH UP with all my 'pet projects'. I believe I am two months behind with the PSYCHO project and I don't know... I'm totally lost! ANYWAY, let me think of some 'cinematic' psychos... I would name myself, but I haven't really done anything THAT psychotic yet. Or have I? Hehe. Okay, can't. SO, let's just talk about something else.

OH  I just want to say that I was TOTALLY RIGHT, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are on EVERY critic's predictions' list... I can hear the bells, OSCAR bells are ringin'... now I'm quoting Hairspray, I need to be sedated. OKAY, we need to find a topic and STAY ON IT... THE SHINING.

The SHINING is a thriller/horror adapated from Stephen King's novel of the same name (I feel so WIKIPEDIA, except reliable... or am I?). Stephen King says that it's the ONLY [cinematic] adaptation of one of his novels that he remembers 'hating'... yeah, well I see why. NO, THE FILM IS GREAT. OVERWHELMING, like Misery, but quite great. However, I see why he hates it. It's 'unfaithful' to the source material and, in my opinion, is superior to the novel. I haven't actually read it, I can't even finish CARRIE... his writing style isn't super compelling for me, but from my 'research' (yes I don't just pull things out of my back pocket) the gist of the novel seems to be 'family haunted by the OVERLOOK hotel and one of them is driven to madness [and befriends an axe]'. The film is more complicated and multi-layered. It's not just a ghost story or perhaps it is...

I really hate talking about the plot, but in this case WE HAVE TO. Basically, a family is hired to take care of the hotel over Winter (five months in an empty hotel... oh yeah, what a WARM holiday). The Dad has a history of acoholism and the son has an imaginary friend - very normal family. There are things that we KNOW to be true, because one of the characters can be considered quite reliable. So the boy has 'psychic' powers... so what, doesn't mean that everything he sees is TRUE. They see things because, well, they EXPECT TO. The hotel has a rather dark history... empty hotel associated with a dead axe-murderer, wouldn't living in a place like that drive you a little crazy, just a LITTLE. I mean it's SPACIOUS, it's quiet, it's isolated... it's eerie and creepy, maybe you'd imagine a few ghosts just to fill the space. Once again, I don't know, I stay away from places like that.

See what I mean? Questionable, questionable images. I mean honestly, how many people would you need to kill to get that MUCH blood. HONESTLY.

So if you haven't guessed, the film is about 'external forces' stirring our inner evil, yes very MACBETH. I mean that ties very well with the acoholism theme, and it builds upon Stephen King's original idea. I mean, yes, being haunted could actually drive you mad... but isn't it more interesting to look at JACK TORRANCE (wonderfully psychotic, and of course who is MORE creepy than Jack Nicholson) swinging his axe around and REALISE that he exists in all of us. Though I do support Stephen King in questioning the casting of Jack Nicholson, because twenty minutes in and  his eyes are already lit with murderous intentions. I mean, it's not his fault - he's naturally creepy, but someone more 'ordinary' would have strengthened the story. Though, he did the 'creepily silent' and overly 'psychotic' scenes well, I mean he brings so much conviction to the 'psychotic' side of the character.

Of course my favourite line in the film is 'Come play with us danny... for ever, and ever, and ever.' ... not creepy AT ALL. Okay I'm going to stop, I keep feeling like a hand is going is stretch out from under my bed and GRAB me...

P.S. Oh readers, come play with me... and stay for ever, and ever, and ever...