Moneyball
GRADE: A-
RATING: 3.5/4
Moneyball is truly a rare treat, one that will join the ranks of the few sports dramas that demand multiple viewings. I have recently decided that in order to even consider giving a film a perfect score it must be viewed at least twice. Moneyball makes that cut, and I’m keeping it an extra day from Netflix just to see if I need to bump up my rating.
It is a character driven film, that’s what I love about it, and being someone who used to watch baseball on TV every day of the season, I found Moneyball’s subject matter to be absolutely fascinating. An undeniably incredible look into the lives and hardships of the men working behind the scenes of the game. But see, it doesn’t stop there, The rising talent, Bennet Miller’s fantastic direction (as well as the brilliant screenplay from Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian) keeps the movie interesting for any viewer, not just baseball fans (yeah, i’m sure you’ve heard that said a lot).
To top that, Brad Pitt shines in his role, equaling his earlier brilliant work in The Tree of Life. So many movie buffs and movie snobs don’t like Brad Pitt because he has always been a “pretty boy”, but seriously, the man can act! Jonah Hill was the real shocker though, I don’t know if he is Academy Award winning material, but he sure played his part well.
Final Word – Why is Moneyball good? Because I said so. Why should you watch it? Because it’s good.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
GRADE: B
RATING: 3/4
I honestly don’t know if I could love a movie with as bad of a title as this one has. I mean seriously guys? A three-year old is more creative than that! Psh. Nevertheless, Planet of the Apes (I refuse to add the ‘Rise of’) is an entertaining, but fairly unintelligent film with strong performances.
The first half of the film was the best part hands down, the story and characters were the most engaging, but as the film unfolded it began to feel very generic and predictable. It felt as if the movie makers did not really know where to go in the last 30 minutes of the film, so they just took the safe and easy way out.
James Franco was good like always, but after 127 Hours last year a petty little performance like this doesn’t make a dent in his career. The thing I really don’t get though is the hype and acclaim around Andy Serkis’ performance. What the heck? It was very, very good, but Oscar Worthy? No…. No. But hey, that’s just me.
Final Word – I graded Planet of the Apes generously. If you haven’t seen the original you will probably love this, but if you are like me and think the original is one of the greatest movies ever, well you may feel just a tad underwhelmed. Still, entertainment is what we go to the movies for, and Planet of the Apes does just that.