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Oscar-nominated titles at Cathay CineplexesPosted on 28 Jan 2012 |
Genre: Drama
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Cast: Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini, Sarina Farhadi, Babak Karimi
RunTime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Released By: Lighthouse Pictures & Cathay-Keris Films
Rating: PG
Official Website: www.memento-films.com
Opening Day: 8 March 2012
Synopsis: Nader (Peyman Moaadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers. However, Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter.
Movie Review:
There is an honest truth deeply situated in the heart of “A Separation,” one of the best films this year. And in that truth reveals a cosmic sense of unity with its characters battling through an inexorably harsh predicament. Few films have this quality of drawing us in through simple and uncomplicated narratives yet devastate us with the notion of being unceasingly real and without design. But even through its layers of verisimilitude, it leaves us with questions and quandaries that are unflinchingly perplexing and fundamentally complex.
Winner of the Best Foreign Film at this year’s Oscars, its writer-director Asghar Farhadi arguably proffered the best acceptance speech of the night by plainly beseeching the intrinsic artlessness of people around the world, stripped of their externally wrought anxieties and sharing common values of family and peace. His film is, in its barest essence, about the extreme adversities of war -- a war with consequences of far greater impact to a family unit than one fought in the trenches under a hail of gunfire can ever be.
Farhadi directs this trenchant film with the greatest of empathies and with the utmost humanity. Even during the film’s most trying scenes, he takes the pulse of the room and tempers them with an even-handed idealism that exudes a keen judgement of not only the film’s characters but the world that they live in – a world that feels truly authentic and nuanced. His patient and balanced point of views yearn and search out for greater observations made possible by context. He approaches this as neo-realist but comes away an ardent realist.
In Farhadi’s previous film “Fireworks Wednesday” – a film of equal quality to this, it must be said – he traversed similar themes and environments, crucially demonstrating the country of Iran and its society. His greater purpose – taking into account the aforementioned acceptance speech – is to personify his countrymen as people with universally felt emotions and aspirations. The laws of which they live in might be relatively strident and the culture, markedly un-Western and different but the struggles remain the same. The film takes in grand themes of class, gender, religion, and all the intricacies that go with astutely dissecting them in a manner simmering with Ozuisms – there are no easy answers for difficult questions.
Consider the scenes with its central couple – Nader (Peyman Moadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) at the helm. Shot in a terrifically absorbing frenetic style, the film explores their relationship’s evolution with a tentative hold. A reasonably happy, middle-class family becomes torn apart by individual notions of happiness and duty to and as parents. Farhadi has cleverly structured his simple plot through fractured events that grow in significance with each enveloping revelation. For all its keen inquiries, it inevitably succeeds as a gruellingly anxious and suspenseful study of character and circumstance.
Movie Rating:
(Terrific filmmaking, hits the mark in the highest degree)
Review by Justin Deimen
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OSCAR WATCH - PGA and DGA WINSPosted on 29 Jan 2012 |
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Songyos Sugmakanan
Cast: Pachara Chirathivat, Somboonsuk Niyomsiri, Walanlak Kumsuwan
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://www.wairoonpunlan.com/
Opening Day: 9 February 2012
Synopsis: What are you doing at his age? Age 16, TOP gained 400,000 Baht monthly from playing online games. Age 17, He was willing to fail school and instead earned money from selling chestnuts for 2,000 baht. Age 18, His family went bankrupt and remained 40 million Baht in debt. Age 19, He released ‘Tao Kae Noi’ seaweed to more than 3,000 branches at 7-Eleven. At this present, Top is a 26-year-old businessman, the owner of the bestselling seaweed in Thailand. He owns 85 percent of the market share which is equivalent to 800 million Baht a year, and has 2,000 employees in his company. “The Billionaire” is an Inspirational Movie tells about a Thai teenager who used to waste his time in playing online games until one day something happens that turns him into a billionaire.
Movie Review:
“The greatest reward in becoming a millionaire is not the amount of money that you earn. It is the kind of person that you have to become to become a millionaire in the first place.” – American entrepreneur Jim Rohn
Envy is probably the inevitable reaction when we hear of someone who’s made it big in life, but even as most of us would long to enjoy the same kind of success they have had, few would possess the necessary attributes to attain that success in the first place. Indeed, we can’t all be like and aren’t all like Aitthipat "Top" Kulapongvanich, the 26-year-old Thai billionaire who was scarcely out of his teens when he found unexpected success in the form of fried seaweed- and whose fascinating life story is the basis of director Songyos Sukmakanan’s biopic.
Right from the beginning when a 19-year-old Top audaciously walks up to a bank officer and asks for a 10 million dollar loan, the film establishes unequivocally the kind of person he is. What brings him to that point in time is the subject of two-thirds of the movie, told in flashbacks as Top relates his intriguing life story to the officer. Sukmakanan rewinds the clock as far back as 2002, when the business-savvy Top first chances upon a lucrative money-making opportunity selling weapons within a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) for real cash. Before you scoff at the idea, let it be known that Top manages to earn enough to buy himself a car, which he impetuously parks in the principal’s reserved lot at school.
Top’s entrepreneurial instinct is one of the highlights of the film, as we watch how quickly he perceives and seizes business opportunities- from selling cheap DVD players to roasted chestnuts and finally to his lucrative fried seaweed- using his powers of observation and a sense of derring-do. How many of us can claim to have the same guts as Top, diving headlong into a new venture before fully assessing its viabilities; or the same perseverance and sheer tenacity to be able to pick ourselves up with each failed endeavour- and it is precisely these attributes that should make this portrait of opportunity and risk a thoroughly gripping one, even more so given that Top began when he was only in his late teens.
It comes as a surprise then that this biopic isn’t as consistently engaging as it should be, but that’s the result of Sukmakanan’s tendency to overplay the melodrama at least in the first half of the movie. Especially after each business setback, Sukmakanan tries too hard to emphasise the gravity of Top’s despondence, and the effect is equivalent to hanging a lead weight around the film’s neck. The scenes between Top and his parents- especially after the latter reveals that they are fleeing to China to escape from imminent bankruptcy- are just as leaden, and the affected way by which the characters interact with one another only further drains what life there is in these sequences. As a result, the pace of the film sags perceptibly after a spirited opening that shows the high-school student at the top of his game (pun intended) and struggles to match the same levity and energy.
Ironically, the film works best when Sukmakanan lets the strength of Top’s rags-to-riches tale speak for itself. Thankfully then, he doesn’t try too hard to play up the bond between Top and the family’s butler whom he simply calls Uncle. Like Alfred to Bruce Wayne’s Batman, Uncle’s unwavering devotion to Top as he stands stoically by him through every one of his wild ideas- assisting to roast his chestnuts or fry his seaweed day and night- is genuinely moving. Their scenes together have an artless charm, and are at the core of Top’s coming-of-age.
The film also shines as a valuable lesson to what it takes to make a successful business. Besides the inevitable hard work that needs to go into making your product right, there are also other equally important factors such as product packaging, marketing, and distribution- and Sukmakanan lets none of these details slip as he follows Top’s journey to get his ‘Tao Kae Noi’ seaweed snack on the shelves of over 3,000 7-Eleven shops all around the country. It is in the second half that the movie truly finds its stride, moving along at a steady gallop and engaging its audience at every turn despite having an ending that we already know about.
Similarly, Patchara Chirathivat also takes half a movie to come into his own as Top. Only his second leading role after last summer’s surprise teenage hit ‘Suckseed’, Chirathivat is sadly nondescript in the first half of the film, with a listless performance that lacks the depth necessary to fully convince audiences of the extent of the disappointment his character must have faced with each unsuccessful business attempt. Fortunately, the scion of Thailand’s Central Department Store family is better off playing the poised and confident Top once his character finally hits the jackpot with his seaweed idea. Chirathivat also seems much more comfortable in the role around veteran director Piak Poster (who’s making his acting debut at the grand old age of 80), and Poster easily gives the film’s most unaffected and unexpectedly moving performance that outshines Chirathivat’s own.
Despite its flaws, this biopic of one of the youngest- if not the youngest- billionaires in Thailand is never less than interesting. It is also especially relevant to our society, often criticised as being risk-averse and excessively academically-oriented- a solid testament to the fact that there are many roads to success in life, and taking the one less travelled will still get you there if you never give up. And for every one with that bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, it is also the perfect source of inspiration and motivation to keep on going and fighting for what you believe in.
Movie Rating:
(Engaging and inspirational story about the 26-year-old ‘Tao Kai Noi’ self-made billionaire that could have been more with a pacier first half and a stronger lead performance)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Bucky [Nick Swarsdon] is a small town grocery bagger, going nowhere in life until he discovers that his conservative parents were once adult film stars! Armed with the belief that he has found his destiny, Bucky packs up and heads out to LA, hoping to follow in his parents footsteps.
MOVIE REVIEW:
You might not be familiar with his name but I’m sure you have seen his face somewhere perhaps in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry”, “Just Go With It” or the recent “Jack and Jill”. Nick Swardson has been playing the bit roles for years and “Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star” marks the comedian first foray as a leading man.
With a measly US$2 million domestic box-office and with 5 nominations in the 2012 Razzies, the premise involves a small-town bumpkin, Bucky Larson who aspires to be a porn star in California after learning that his squeaky clean parents are actually porn stars in the 70s. Problem is he has a tiny wanger and absolutely uncontrollable ejaculation.
Of course, you expect something more, especially one that pokes fun at the porn industry. The script by Happy Madison’s regular, Allan Covert, Swardson himself and their boss, Adam Sandler demonstrates the increasingly decline of Happy Madison productions. The scripting here is plain lazy and the gags turned out to be nothing sizeable or in this case, if any to speak of. Will you actually laugh at gooey stuff being stuck on the ceiling or Swardson’s enthusiastic orgasmic expressions? I tried to at least snicker but failed on both accounts. And the endless jokes at the expense of Larson’s buckteeth are cringing and pointless.
Peppering the cast members with names such as Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow), Stephen Dorff (Blade) and Don Johnson (from the 80’s Miami Vice) doesn’t help much either. Ricci plays Larson’s love interest, Kathy, a character that sees the big-hearted man in Larson instead of his pathetic genital. The ex-child star is more than competent for a role like this and I hope the paycheck is enticing enough. Dorff’s character, Dick Shadows, an arrogant and leading porn star with a manhood that can cast a long shadow is a wasted opportunity to draw in the laughs. Don Johnson is at his best being a has-been porn director, Miles Deep, his performance flawless though his name is the only thing funny.
At the end of this 97 minutes movie, the mystery is yet to be resolved. Is this supposed to be laugh-a-minute crass comedy? Or a light-hearted drama about a country boy made good? Give this a rent and see for yourself, maybe Happy Madison believes some cheap shots of tities is worth the price.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Laughter is Contagious is a 5 minutes gag reel that is simply not that funny.
The cast and crew discuss the making of the movie in Behind The Teeth.
Gary: Tough Customeris a short feature on comedian Kevin Nealon.
Bucky Sparkles takes a close-up look at Bucky’s orgasmic’ expressions.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Dialogue is crisp, audible and images, colour tones appear natural and vibrant.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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We Not Naughty - Top Grossing Chinese Movie For 2 Weekends!Posted on 17 Feb 2012 |
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Lim Koon Hwee , Dasmond Koh
Cast: Joshua Ang, Aloysius Pang, Cynthia Ruby Wang, Kimberly Chia, Michelle Tay, Xu Bin, Josephine Chan, Eugene Lim
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 March 2012
Synopsis: Amongst Morgan’s grandmother’s belongings, Morgan found an island’s lease and also, gazed upon a few pictures of her grandmother and a stranger posing intimately in an island. He somehow recalled that his grandmother used to tell him stories of her regrets with regards to a watch and the island when he was younger… Intrigued on the identity of the mysterious man and to escape the paparazzi, he decided to head to the island to unravel the mysteries and seek answers.
Movie Review:
Timeless Love is a locally produced movie from DJ turned TV host turned director Dasmond Koh and Lim Koon Hwee. Basically, the movie is about Morgan (Aloysius Pang), a rich brat who embarks on a journey with his friends to uncover the mystery behind his late grandmother and the island that his grandmother owned.
Before continuing with the critique, if anyone had watched Morgan Spurlock’s “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” (2011), you would have learned that there exist a very delicate relationship between the movie maker and the sponsors. Eventually, it all boils down to budget (aka the money) in exchange for product placement. This is one point that was very evident in this movie. Look no further than the English title of the movie; one could already tell that the movie has something to do with ‘time’. And indeed, subsequently watches have been tirelessly featured every now and then, so much so that even the plot of the movie has such a high play on the concept of ‘time’.
“Time and tide waits for no man” is probably the core message of the movie. However, this is a message that is taught to us since young and there is no clear effort to repackage it such that it could be understood in a new light. In the end, what we do get to see is the clichéd dialogues exchanged between Morgan and his grandmother.
Do not be surprised that the grandmother, more affectionately known to Morgan as “nai nai”, is an attractive and young lady in her 20s. You’ve guessed it. It seems like a guest actress has been forcefully added to the cast. This is none other than Taiwanese actress Cynthia Ruby Wang, or more commonly known as Wang Xin Ru. The rest of the cast consist mainly of young local actors and actresses, including Aloysius Pang, Xu Bin, Kimberly Chia and Joshua Ang. Apart from Joshua Ang, who has been acting since a very tender age, the acting was rather amateurish.
It has been previously reported on local papers that Joshua felt that actors’ creative freedom was restricted too much in this movie. Indeed, Joshua’s role in Timeless Love clearly pales in comparison with his previous roles, such as the one that brought him to fame in “I Not Stupid” franchise from local director Jack Neo. Perhaps there is some truth in the report! To top all that off, the way the young actors and actresses spoke and articulated was also a little distracting. As a result, you see little depth in the characters, so much so that they seem to be reading off memorized scripts more than anything.
Thankfully, Kimberly Chia did some justice to herself and her role. There was a particular scene that was impactful and affecting. But the goodness could only last that long… The little boy, who played the role of the housekeeper’s (Michelle Tay) son, also deserves some special mention! He did the least that he could, to keep people’s attention on him and spoke properly, and was really entertaining.
Unfortunately, the movie ended rather abruptly. Perhaps it was intended to be an open ending, leaving it for the viewers to interpret. However ultimately, there was little focus throughout the movie; clearly a production lacking oomph. Can this make it big in the local box ticket office? Time will tell…
Movie Rating:
(As reminded countless times, please spend your time wisely!)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Michael Sucsy
Cast: Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange, Sam Neill, Wendy Crewson, Jessica McNamee
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References and Coarse Language)
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Official Website: http://www.thevow-movie.com/
Opening Day: 5 April 2012
Synopsis: Real-life story of a newlywed New Mexico couple, Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, who were struck by tragedy shortly after their marriage. A car crash puts the wife in a coma, where she is cared for by her devoted husband. When she comes to, without any memory of her husband or their marriage, the husband must woo her and ultimately win her heart once again.
Movie Review:
It is one of those things which would probably make you shed a tear or two – only if it happened to someone you know. A guy and a girl get married. Even before you can say “happy ending”, something unfortunate happens and the girl forgets who the guy is. The guy goes all out to make her fall in love with him again. There you have it, a perfect love story waiting to be made into a movie starring two of Hollywood’s best looking people.
In this case, we have Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams filling the roles of the ill fated couple. Based on a true story which happened in New Mexico, the Michael Sucsy directed movie has McAdams’ Paige waking up from a coma after a car accident, only to realise she has no memory of the last few years of her life. To top it all off, she does not remember anything about her husband (an earnest Tatum trying his best to emote), Leo. What she remembers though, is living with her rich parents and a successful ex boyfriend.
What we get in this 104 minute movie is a series of attempts made by Leo trying to make his wife remember the love they once shared. Along the way, we also get Sam Neil and Jessica Lange appearing as the Paige’s unlikable parents, as well as Scott Speedman as her suave ex boyfriend.
So we see Tatum trying very hard, looking very moody and sulky most of the time, to achieve that happy ending he deserves. To be fair, one cannot help but feel sorry for the male protagonist, given his circumstances. One also cannot bear to be too critical about Tatum’s performance, given how he has proven to be a good looker (with or without clothes). The result is a tolerable romance drama which develops at a calculating and predictable pace, one that wants you to empathise with how fate has been so very unkind to the characters.
And yes, the filmmakers did not forget to insert those cooing voiceovers which sound poetic on paper, but plain cheesy when narrated (either that or it’s just Tatum’s disengaging vocals).
Slightly more commendable is McAdams, who comfortably portrays a confused individual torn between two options in her next stage of life. The starlet does not make you forget that other than looking lovely on screen, she is a capable performer who manages her emotions well.
When put together, Tatum and McAdams manage to pass off as a loving couple with some chemistry between them. Considering how each of them already scores quite highly in the looks department, this feat isn’t exactly difficult to pull off.
The dreary pace of the movie is further bogged down by the lack of memorable cinematic moments. You see the guy dragging his feet throughout the movie, as he remembers the happier days while hoping for a miracle to happen. Although that miracle does eventually happen, you can’t feel the ecstasy and joy (you probably would if it was someone you knew). You’d be quite glad though, that the movie has come to an end, just the way you predicted it to.
Movie Rating:
(Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams may look good together on screen, but they pull no surprises in this dreary romance flick )
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Angelina Jolie
Cast: Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic, Rade Serbedzija, Nikola Djuricko, Branko Djuric
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes and Sexual Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: http://www.inthelandofbloodandhoney.com/
Opening Day: 1 March 2012
Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s, In the Land of Blood and Honey tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kosti) and Ajla (pronounced Ayla) (Zana Marjanovi), two Bosnians from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. Danijel, a Bosnian Serb police officer, and Ajla, a Bosnian Muslim artist, are together before the war, but their relationship is changed as violence engulfs the country. Months later, Danijel is serving under his father, General Nebojsa Vukojevich (Rade erbedija), as an officer in the Bosnian Serb Army. He and Ajla come face to face again when she is taken from the apartment she shares with her sister, Lejla (Vanesa Glodjo), and Lejla's infant child by troops under Danijel's command. As the conflict takes hold of their lives, their relationship changes, their motives and connection to one another become ambiguous and their allegiances grow uncertain. In the Land of Blood and Honey portrays the incredible emotional, moral and physical toll that the war takes on individuals as well as the consequences that stem from the lack of political will to intervene in a society stricken with conflict.
Movie Review:
It is easy to understand why American actress (and now director) made this film. The one half of Brangelina is known for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. After getting an Academy Award, two Screen Actor Guild Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, it seems almost natural for the world’s most beautiful woman (a gracious title world has bestowed upon her) to go behind the scenes and call the shots as a director.
Besides helming the film, Jolie also pens the story set in Sarajevo against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s. The protagonist is a soldier fighting for the Bosnian Serbs, and a Bosnian Muslim woman he was romantically involved with before the war. As fate would have it, she is now held captive in the camp he oversees. To make things worse, the soldier is serving under his father, a Bosnian Serb general. Amidst the pressures of war, can the two rekindle their love?
It is most admirable of Jolie to tell this story of how women are treated brutally during the Bosnian War. To most viewers (whom this reviewer assume may not be that well informed in history like him), this is yet another production which sheds light on the past, and provides lessons on how certain things in history shouldn’t be repeated. We can almost feel the anger and frustration Jolie felt when writing and directing the scenes where the women are forced to be sex slaves for the Serb soldiers. However, if the film wasn’t spearheaded by Jolie, would we have cared more?
The 127 minute film moves at an almost sluggish pace, and the predictable plot developments do not help to keep less impatient audiences engaged. There really isn’t anything new or innovative to discover here, and the ill fated protagonists’ tragic love story isn’t particularly affecting either. Things also seem oversimplified as one also isn’t given enough context to feel for the doomed romance between the soldier and his lover.
To be fair, Jolie’s directorial debut has its merits. Production values are strong throughout, with the cinematography by Dean Semler especially outstanding. The cast also deserves points for their unflinching performances. UK based Bosnian Serb actor Goran Kostic takes on the central role of the emotionally torn soldier with his rugged looks. The 40 year old has a slight resemblance to Daniel Craig, and that aids his portrayal as a manly military man whose feelings can be hurt. Sharing screen time with Kostic is Bosnian actress Zana Marjanovic, who has the inevitable task of appearing nude in the movie. Though she’s not your typical beauty, her on screen presence nicely complements the character’s struggles depicted in the story. It also helps that the student of the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo’s chemistry with her leading man is spot on.
It is probably Jolie’s intention to take on a cold and distanced look at love during war, but in the larger scheme of things, the central plot becomes increasingly myopic as the film progresses. Unfortunately, even the somewhat thoughtful conclusion cannot salvage the situation.
Movie Rating:
(Though admirable, Jolie’s directorial debut feels somewhat inadequately unaffecting)
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama/Sports
Director: Bennett Miller
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Stephen Bishop, Brent Jennings, Tammy Blanchard, Jack McGee
RunTime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Official Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/
Opening Day: 16 February 2012
Synopsis: Based on a true story, "Moneyball" is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. It's more than baseball, it's a revolution - one that challenges old school traditions and puts Beane in the crosshairs of those who say he's tearing out the heart and soul of the game.
Movie Review:
What's the real problem the story wanted to tackle?
That the 1% has and owns its resources to outwit, outplay and outlast the other 99%. That those with money in team sports can assemble a galaxy of star players because they can afford a large payroll and sustain it. That those without means will be eaten alive or fade away into oblivion. And for a modest sports team trying to find its footing in an increasingly rich game afforded by the elites, this calls for some radical strategy and out of the box thinking to beat the system.
Moneyball, based on the biographical book written by Michael Lewis that is based on the 2002 baseball season of the Oakland Athletics and their general manager Billy Beane, is a delightful way of the underdog movie about sports management, and the ideas that went behind an intent to revolutionize the traditional approach to the sport, besides that of winning trophies, extended winning streaks or winning the World Series as a the ultimate prize. Directed by Bennett Miller, whose last film was Capote back in 2005, Miller shows no signs of rust as he deftly handles various sequences in the film, with the sports segment looking very much like the real thing seen over a television set, as it treks Billy Beane's journey of faith into the vast unknown.
Already at his wits end, Brad Pitt plays the reel Billy Beene who on a business trip to a rival team, spots Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who was involved in derailing Beane's player trade talks, only for Beane to hire Brand very soon after to assist in the implementation of the sabermetric system of recruitment and drafting of players. Despite having no on the field qualifications, the Ivy League economics trained Brand relies plenty much on the goodwill extended by Beane to join him as Assistant General Manager, and together try to impress others, from owner right down to team scouts and the players themselves, to buy into their unorthodox techniques and tactics.
For non baseball fans, fret not if you're fearful that you'd be overcomed by the numerous statistics, facts and figures that may be thrown at you. The film does not drown you in any way. No more than a very basic knowledge of the baseball game is required, and even if you know zilch, you can still follow the proceedings without much trouble. The aspects of the game here are mostly on people management, so you may be able to pick up a thing or two, especially that in a professional league where players understand it's performance or the door, or the sad notion that everyone is but a good waiting to be traded when the time is right, with movement coming either upwards or downwards, or laterally sideways.
What will likely engage you are the wheelings and dealings, and in the first act the mollycoddling that Billy Beane has to go through with various parties in order to get things done his way, especially when most cannot see eye to eye with him on his grand plan to destruction, so they thought. This is especially when one has to weigh in the human experience which come with biases and preconceptions, versus what's being interpreted with mathematical formulas and statistics churning out cold, hard numbers. And sometimes the politics, cajoling and the street smarts may just prove to be that little differentiator when you're short of resource.
It's been a relatively long time since Brad Pitt had marquee a film (arguably since the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where Inglourious Basterds and The Tree of Life being a relatively ensemble piece), and it's a big welcome to see him back on the big screen and acting like a boss. Is he a shoo-in to win the coveted Oscar award this season? He's up for a pretty good fight in the Best Actor category, turning in an award winning performance of hie own as someone who's backed into a corner, and willing to trust in whatever means possible to start churning out some victories. And Billy Beane gets portrayed as a rather superstitious man, deliberately not watching his team's games, with an extra dimension to the character touching upon his promising, but unfulfilled younger playing days where a decision made during a forked road sealed his fate, which may have played a part in his search for a new tool and technique to complement scouting.
This film also marks one of the rare, if not the only time to date where Jonah Hill played a non comedic role, and who would have thought he had it in him to do drama, being the nerd that nobody would bat an eyelid at until Billy Beane saw through his potential and ideas, and got him onboard his management team. Other notable actors include Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright, both of whom were grossly under-utilized, with Hoffman's role as the Oakland A's team coach who constantly clashes with Beane on tactics up until he got shown who's the boss, and Wright playing the ex-wife of Beane in a role that didn't bring much to the table.
With wonderful cinematography by Wally Pfister and all round solid production values that really put you into the thick of all the boardroom action, ultimately this is a story about first mover advantage, that in reality sometimes one can come up with a great idea, but given limited resources to exploit it fully, the competition just gets keener when they play catch up using the same tools of the trade, and demands for yet another innovative plan to be created to level the playing field again.
And such is life.
Movie Rating:
(A home run!)
Review by Stefan Shih
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