Having watched only one baseball game in my life, I was very surprised to find myself engaged and attentive throughout the duration of Moneyball (2011). A good sports movie is one that can transcend the game and be interesting for me. Examples of this include "Major League" and "Field of Dreams". So the fact that I made it through this one automatically gives it an extra point.
Based on a true story, Moneyball follows Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the general manager of the Oakland A's. Beane works with a young math whiz named Peter Brant (Jonah Hill), who develops a method of statistical analysis to develop a championship team with only a fraction of the money used by bigger clubs. Moneyball follows their struggle to make their system work.
Funnily enough, it is the baseball scenes in this film that intrigued me the most. Moments like the last minute trading grab that Beane and Brant mastermind, left me clueless as to what actually happened, but it had me engaged. So my point is to enjoy this film, you don't need to be a fan of baseball, or even know anything about the game. With Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt's performance both being nominated for the Academy Awards, this film is surely one to watch. Watch the trailer below.
Love Actually (2003), despite the common presumption
that it is American film, is a British romance film – with a touch of comedy
(if you could call it comedy) and drama – that parallels the Christmas tales of
ten people. The thought of a celebrity
fuelled film, as each of the main characters were played by famous British
actors, aroused much hype for the film, only to be bet by all-round
disappointment. I must admit that the plot was well devised, so credit must be
awarded to the screen writers. The fact that the stories interlink and overlap
is clever, and makes for a long-held interest in the film.
The downfall in the film is the “lovey-doveyness”, the
over-the-top romantic culture and some cringe-worthy English jokes
misunderstood in Australia (or just not funny in general). The general
consensus of film critics is that Love
Actually is a sugary tale overstuffed with too many different storylines.
The focus of the screen writers was obviously on plot development, as opposed
to character development, which as a result has procured a confusing love-crazed
film where the constant character transitions makes for a forgettable film. It
can be argued that a central storyline is essentially for commercial success.
One of Hayao Miyazaki's sure-fire masterpieces, this beautiful film of magic, love and war strikes through the childhood of everyone who has seen it. This has got to be in my top five favourite films of all time simply because it hits all the right notes (and quite literally too, the soundtrack is amazing!). If you haven't seen this yet, now's a good time to do so. If not, our friendly fire demon Calcifer may place a curse on you:
In a quick and abridged summary that, by no means, does this do the film any sort of justice, the viewer is introduced to Sophie, an (ordinary) girl who gets swept up by a powerful wizard named Howl after succumbing to a curse by the Witch of the Waste. The once young-now-old Sophie ventures on towards a new life as she tries to find a way to break her curse all the while stumbling into magical beings and Howl's Moving Castle.
What is it that makes this film so great? Well the astoundingly magnificent animation would, for one, be a great highlight to start off with. In every scene we are introduced to a gorgeous backdrop of wilderness and town-scapes that make you feel as if you were watching a renaissance painting in animation. The absurdity of the castle is also quite the major highlight, doing this adaptation of the novel evermore justice despite the many differences between them. We also have very distinct and likeable characters, particularly our fire demon Calicfer (voiced by Billy Crystal) who is a springboard of entertainment.
It should also be noted that the film originated with a Japanese cast. The translation and voice acting quality of the English version is simply sublime (and we're bringing in the big guns here: Christian Bale and Jean Simmons). Many fans of Japanese animations and animated films cringe whenever there is an English dub. But it's safe to say that Howl's Moving Castle saves face.There is emotion and clarity in the acting, and it blends well with the overall feel of the film.
Even the fantasy elements of the film are quite unique and awe-inspiring. From dancing shadows to transformation. It's got that beautiful Victorian vibe with spices of steam punk that tend to go under the radar when the magic unfolds. And with a tale of love and war for everyone to enjoy, it would be a tragedy not to recommend this piece of art for your visual enjoyment.
Go on and experience the wonder and excitement that is Howl's Moving Castle.
Although met with massive critical acclaim, Beasts
of the Southern Wild (2012) has seen little publicity or exposure beyond the
nomination for best lead actress (Quvenzhané Wallis) in the Academy awards
(nine years old at the time of nomination, she is the youngest nominee in the
history of the Academy awards). This seems a terrible shame to me, as the film
is, in my experience, one of the most nuanced and complex depictions of
childhood to ever grace cinema screens.
Benh
Zeitlin takes the helm of the creative direction, for which he too was
nominated for an academy award (Best director), and paints a vivid image of a
close-knit, remote community with the use of handheld camera work and tightly
framed shots that assist in quickly establish connections with characters and locations.
Add on a rich and varied colour palette and excellent acting across the board
and you get a sense of the reason this is one of my all-time favourite films.
From
the establishing shots with Hushpuppy (Wallis) listening to animals heartbeats,
to the tense scenes with her father (Dwight Henry) who is varyingly angry and
caring and almost always unreadable, I find I care immensely about the
characters in the film. The film feels somewhat unique in that there is no
antagonist beyond the mysterious mainland who have forgotten them, death itself
and the possibly imagined Aurochs thawed from an unnamed arctic environment.
This encapsulates a child-like sense of going up against the world and the
mysteries represented by it, which fits very well thematically with the narrative
the film follows.
Ultimately
the film evokes a sense of both childhood and community, with a skill and
delicacy, not flinching away from the harsh or the painful, presenting
childhood in all of its aspects. Standing as perhaps the single most moving and
uplifting films I have seen, this one comes highly recommended.
