Tag: brad

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Moneyball (2011) International Trailer

Synopsis: The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players. So this is hardly NEW news, but I felt it deserved a spot on the site. I know virtually nothing about Baseball or what the hell 'Moneyball' means, but this looks like a worthwhile film. We posted up the UK trailer a few weeks back, and this here's the International trailer for the flick. There are most definitely some great moments in the trailer, but equally, there are a little bit of clichéd ones too. This is a film I'll definitely be checking out, just not sure what to make of it. I must also point out that I think Brad Pitt is just a naturally charming person on screen, and I suppose three quarters of the reason I want to watch this film is because of the overrated (and rightly so) performer.

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UK trailer for Moneyball (2011)

Synopsis: The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players. I saw footage of this from the Empire's Big Screen event a few weeks ago, and I remember thinking it looked pretty cool. Watching it again it feels cheesy and clichéd. But then... on the other hand, it doesn't look that bad. I'll reserve judgement til it comes out.  

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) review

Synopsis: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences. I really feel it's a difficult feat to keep someone's attention when a film is near 3 hours long. Especially when that film doesn't have any explosions, naked chicks or guns. This being said, after seeing The Curious Case of Benjamin Button(for a second time in a while), I thought that the performances within the film were stunning, notably from the two co-stars, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, playing Benjamin Button and Daisy, respectively. The chemistry between the two was quite intriguing, and how it evolved throughout the story made for an interesting watch, and the story itself was an interesting concept, although there were a few scenes which were quite slow, ultimately though, the conclusion was quite an event. The small, but obvious references to the theme of the film throughout were clever, albeit simple, but added to the film to make it a more rounded, fuller flick. The CGI in the film for Pitt's character, Benjamin, was quite noticeable at times, but seamless at other points in the film. All things considered, it was acceptable, but didn't seem cheap and corny. A brilliant film, deserved each of the awards and nominations it received, definitely a film for the ages. 8.5/10 Kazed

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Kazed Blogs #4 - Why Disney/Pixar movies are so damn badass

So check it, last week I reviewed 'Up', and talked about Pixar's spawn who have evolved into these huge financial and critical successes, and it'd hard to understand why. Well, it isn't. It isn't hard to understand. Each of these films follow a formula; There's the protagonist, who has some sort of 'ultimate goal', if you will, get's into some sort of trouble, usually involves a side plot, which is usually resolved before the ultimate ending. Give or take a few things, but thats usually the general gist of a Pixar film. Now, granted, this formula is pretty straightforward, sort of, but it works. They have this unique ability to enthrall an audience of all ages, and make them all smile and laugh with joy. It's truly a magnificent sight, to watch a Disney Pixar film, it just amazes me to how many movies they can fork out of their chest of wonders, and still not manage to bomb any. Maybe after writing this they'll manage to make a substandard film, but, somehow, I highly doubt it. Let's look at some of the films - Wall-E: A great film, amazing though, considering it barely contains any lines in the entire movie, it still managed to communicate stunning emotion through just visuals, and the 2 words: "Waaaaaaaall-Eeeeeeeeee" and "Eeeeevvvvvvvvaaaaaaaa". Only negative I'll give this, is the cliché message about looking after the earth it uncovered at the end. Just..ugh. It was nice seeing the ending the way it ended, but it just seemed really cheap, imo. Up: I covered this with the review I did last week, just such a great piece of work, brilliant story, lovely characters, beautiful backstory, check out my review. Cars: No way as near as good as the other Pixar selection, but it was still enjoyable film nonetheless. Followed the formula, inspired concept, great idea with world of cars, just had a certain something lacking that the others so greatly embodied. Nice to have Owen Wilson in the mix though, made the film. The Incredibles: I remember watching this when it first came out, and I just thought it was a colossal achievement of immense proportions. Ok, so maybe it wasn't THAT good, but still worthy of being named as one of the better Pixar films. This film was quite possibly on the same level as Cars, maybe better, but they lacked the emotion that Up, Wall-E, Toy Story, and Monsters Inc to name a few, contained. Toy Story: There's not alot I can say about this that hasn't already been said, but the first Pixar film that started the extensive line-up of success stories, it will always remain in my heart, and I'm sure in millions of others' hearts, as the very film that encapsulated the spirit of Pixar, if you will. Just a complete masterpiece, a great story, wonderfully quirky characters which make us love Toy Story so much. As you all know, of course there are others, but I just thought highlighting these specific ones were necessary, because these were the ones which were significantly interesting to me. Cars, because of the talking Cars(Awesome), Up, because of it's emotional and sentimental value, The Indredibles, because it was a family of Superheroes, including a baby with powers, Toy Story, because it is THE Pixar film, and Wall-E, the film which contained like 20 lines, yet still managed to pull off an enormous 47 awards, and 80-something nominations. All brilliant films in their own right, Pixar continue to amaze me with their capability to encapsulate almost anyone with the awesomeness that is a Disney Pixar film. Kazed

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Inglourious Basterds review

Well, to be honest I sat down in the cinema not really knowing too much about this film. I shamefully hadn’t seen many trailers and I hadn’t read much about it but I knew it was a Tarantino film and that was all I needed to know. Gratuitous violence, dark comedy, amazing dialogue, and unforgettable characters to name just a few of the things I expected. Did it fulfil? Ooohhh yes. To summarise the film, it’s basically all about revenge with three dividing plots that collide to make the epic end to the film. It starts with the slaughter of a group of Jews seeking refuge underneath a farmer’s house. The massacre is masterminded by the ‘Jew hunter’ himself Colonel Hans Landa, easily the most likeable character in the film which is surprising considering his mission to kill Jews. The dialogue between him and the farmer in the build up to the massacre is Tarantino at his best and it makes it one of my favourite scenes in the film, 20 minutes of suspense filled goodness topped with a massive dose of violence.  Not all goes to plan though and one girl escapes Landa’s grasp and gets away. Landas’ ultimate goal is to track down and kill The Basterds, a Jewish-American group of brute soldiers whose aim is to kill Hitler and scalp as many Nazi soldiers for the crimes they have committed. It is through them that you see the bulk of that gratuitous violence that Tarantino’s films are infamous for. Brad Pitt plays the role of your stereotypically acted, red neck American soldier who again is quite likeable and light-hearted considering the amount of violence in the film. The fact that they are likeable doesn’t make the comedic side of the film seem out of place and Brad Pitts delivery of his lines makes for some laugh out loud moments. And then comes the one that got away, Shoshanna or Emmanuelle Mimieux as she is now known who now has her own revenge plot against the Nazi’s. Its how these three stories combine that makes the plot so intriguing. I won’t give away any more of the plot, you will want to watch it and appreciate it for yourself but I can assure you that you will appreciate it. It isn’t historically accurate but that isn’t the point. It’s refreshing to see a world war two film that isn’t all about one man single handedly winning the war and the brutality and the violence of the war must have had Tarantino creaming in his pants at the prospect of what he could do with this film. I can honestly say that this is my second favourite film of his after Reservoir Dogs and I gladly put it up there with my favourite films of all time. I was gripped throughout and I know I keep mentioning it, but dialogue is the defining factor for me. I never thought I could be so entertained by two people having a 20 minute conversation but somehow he pulls it off. The ending is well thought out and extremely satisfying, you will understand what I mean when you see it. My only, and I mean ONLY problem with this film is Eli Roth. I am not a fan and it feels like he was in the film because Quentin did him a favour. He tries too hard and he just doesn’t really fit in with all of the other characters. But this is minor and simply and opinion, I’m sure others will disagree. It definitely didn’t make me enjoy the film any less and I would recommend this to any Tarantino fan and I challenge you not to like it. Dan