The Tree of Life

             There's a strong possibility this will be the shortest review I have done to date. Why you may ask? Well it's hard to talk about, none the less review something when you don't know what it's about or what happened. That's precisely the predicament we have with this film.
              To begin with there is a lot more wrong with this movie than there is right, and there's not much right with this movie. I wasn't sure what was even happening in this movie until about 30 minutes in. At one point there's a period of about ten minutes where you don't even see an actor and you hear one whispered line that I didn't even understand. This time period is just filled with images of space and nature like you see in the poster above. Then at one point dinosaurs pop in there too! I was so lost and frustrated at this point that I almost turned it off. But instead, I forced myself to watch this film in its entirety. I wish I hadn't. Once this ended it was still hard to follow and to figure out what the heck was going on.
             What this film is about is the eldest of three sons of a 1950s family in Texas and his troubled relationship with his father. That's brief, but it is about as detailed as I can get. The son, Jack, is played by newcomer Hunter McCracken as a boy and by Sean Penn as an adult. Though Penn is barely in this movie. He's in about 20 minutes total, 10 in the beginning and 10 in the end and I'm not even sure he ever says a complete sentence. The mother, Mrs. O'Brien is played by Jessica Chastain (The Help) while the father, Mr. O'Brien is played by Brad Pitt (Moneyball).
             Another trouble with this movie and why it is so hard to follow is because it's all just a bunch of brief sequences and not scenes. It's like the entire movie is a dream scene or a bunch of flashbacks where only a couple of lines are said and then it moves on. Basically there's no flow between scenes and everyone seems to stand on their own, thus making it very hard to follow. Plus, to cap all of this off, the film runs at a length of 2 hours and 20 min. I felt like this movie was never going to end. However, this movie could have only been an hour and a half and I still know I'd be saying all of this negative stuff.
            Overall, this movie is confusing, strange, weird, long, and just plain terrible. Writer/director Terrence Malick is supposed to be a genius, but I just don't see it. At least not in this film. How it was ever nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at this year's Oscars I'll never know.
             I give this movie 0, that's right 0 out of 4 stars and a big thumbs down. It gets a 0 for all of the reasons I said above and the fact I wish I had never watched it, and that no one else should waste their time because they'll never get it back. This movie is out on DVD and Blu-Ray, but please don't buy and don't see it. Learn from me and save yourselves. Worst movie ever! Don't enjoy!

Editor's Note:  The next movie I will be reviewing will be the Best Picture nominee The Help starring Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Bryce-Dallas Howard, and Sissy Spacek.

Moneyball

            Over time there have been many movies done about baseball. Whether true or fictional it always seems like there's a new one that comes out every few years and usually they're done pretty well. In the case of Moneyball, for the lack of a better pun, it's money. The movie is based on a true story and the book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" by Michael Lewis. That name may sound familiar as he is also the author of "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game;" which is obviously the book the movie "The Blind Side" was based off of. Now adapting a movie from a book can be troublesome as you must deal with people's judgements who have both read the book and seen the movie. However, with me I have not read the book yet, though I own it, therefore I'm completely impartial to judge this film with out any prejudice.
           Moneyball is the story of the Oakland Athletics baseball season in 2002. More importantly, it's the story of how General Manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, put together this team after losing three star players and using a budget around $40 million. While trying to figure out how to overcome these obstacles Beane meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a special assistant to the GM of the Cleveland Indians. Brand tells him about a new way to evaluate players using statistical analysis called sabermetrics. Instead of the traditional way of scouting and putting value on a player's certain skill sets, sabermetrics has you value what they do on the field instead. For example, how often they get on base and score runs is more important than how much power a player has or how strong his arm is. Intrigued by this new way of thinking Beane hires Brand. Together they work an unconventional system to put together a team that they hope can win a championship, all the while facing doubts from people outside the organization as well as inside.
          This film is enjoyable all throughout as the audience is entertained by great actors working off of a great script. Moneyball was co-written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Zaillian is the Oscar winning writer behind "Schindler's List" while Sorkin is the Oscar winning writer behind "The Social Network." Together these two put together a script that while watching, feels like a fictional story, but that helps make it connect that much more with the audience when you realize it is based on a true story. (Update: This pair's great writing has earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay that would be shared with Stan Chervin as well who came up with the story)
         Acting wise everyone was on top of their game. Pitt is stellar as the young, somewhat carefree GM. He transitions back and forth seamlessly from the methodical, set in his ways side and big kid still having fun with baseball no matter what side of Beane. Though Pitt was great in this role Jonah Hill may have stolen the show. Hill's portrayal of the composite character Brand is a role many fans of his aren't used to seeing as it is a dramatic one. Hill is great as this young Harvard grad who's uncomfortable and unsure of himself as he's thrust into a job opportunity of a lifetime at such a young age. Together with Pitt their chemistry is great as the two's characters play off of each other quite well throughout the entire movie. (Update: Due to their great performances Pitt has been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar and Hill has been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar)
         One must not forget Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of A's manager Art Howe. Though small, he plays the long time manager and stubborn old style baseball guy great as he goes head to head with Beane throughout. Also, Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) is solid as Scott Hatteberg, the long time bench player who is one of the main guys brought in to contribute and replace Jason Giambi. Plus, there's a great shot of his WSU Cougar jersey in the background when Beane goes to his house to sign him. Can't ignore that now can we?
          Anyways, overall I thought this movie was great. Like any good sports movie should it grabs the audience with its drama and hooks you into cheering for the team on the screen. Even I, a lifelong Mariners fan found myself hoping for the A's success while I watched, even though I already knew the outcome. (Update: I'm not the only one who thought this was a great movie as it's nominated for a Best Picture Oscar)
         I give this movie 3 1/2 out of 4 stars and a thumbs up. I recommend you go see it even if you're not a baseball fan as this movie is about much more than just baseball. This movie is out in theaters now as it was just release last Friday so you have plenty of time. Enjoy! (Update: This movie is now out on DVD and Blu-Ray and is available at Redbox and OnDemand)

Editor's Note: I know I said "Last Night" would be my next review, but since Moneyball is in theaters now it gets higher priority. Lookout for Last Night next time unless the same circumstances arise again.

Megamind

            If there is any animation studio out there that is going to legitimately compete with Pixar, the undeniable powerhouse, I believe it's DreamWorks Animation. In fact they're really the only ones to give Pixar any real competition in recent years. DreamWorks Animation has brought us the Shrek and Kung Fu Panda franchises, as well as Megamind which came out in November of 2010. Megamind follows in the same line as DreamWorks' previous ventures. A clever story with plenty of well known voice talent and tons of satirical humor, all while being family friendly. 
            Megamind is a story about, well, Megamind. Ever since he was a baby Megamind (Will Ferrell) has had a nemesis. That nemesis is Metro Man (Brad Pitt). From the time they were both sent to Earth from distant planets, all of they way through school and up to adult hood. In adult hood Metro Man became the superhero of Metro City while Megamind became the evil villain constantly trying to take out the city and its beloved superhero. What's that old saying? Be careful what you wish for? Well that definitely applies to the plot of this movie.
            When Megamind, with the help of his sidekick Minion (David Cross), finally takes down his nemesis Metro Man he finds himself with complete control of Metro City and everything he's ever wanted. However, he soon finds himself bored as he now has no one to fight. What good is evil when there's no good to fight? So Megamind sets out to create a new superhero/nemesis for himself. He takes lonely cameraman Hal Stewart (Jonah Hill) and sets out to turn him into Titan. Of course things don't go exactly according to plan and Megamind finds himself in a situation he never imagined being in and must figure out a way to fix it.
            As mentioned above Megamind is a very family friendly movie. It's rated PG, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have plenty of jokes for adults. As with most movies like this there are plenty of jokes for adults that go right over youngsters heads. A lot of this humor is satirical and very witty. With a voice cast of Ferrell, Hill, and Cross, with the aid of Tina Fey as news reporter Roxanne Ritchie, there's plenty of comedic presence. Even Brad Pitt does a good job of line delivery and portraying his character.
            This movie's storyline was not what I thought it was going to be going into it. It changed into something actually quite more complex. That's in no way a bad thing either. In fact it's added depth made the story that much more enjoyable. I had thought it was going to be something much more straightforward and instead I was presented with a story that kept me guessing, caring, and laughing all of the way through.
           As a result, I give this movie a thumbs up and 3 out of 4 stars. It is no Toy Story 3, but it's definitely above average for your everyday animated feature. Find it OnDemand on Xfinity, go to Redbox, or get it via Netflix. It'll definitely be a fun time. Enjoy!