Moneyball (4.5)

(Trailer)

The true story of Billy Beane, the GM for the Oakland A's, who was the first person to use computer generated analysis to draft his players.

Wow. I cannot believe how good this movie is. Everyone told me and I read so many reviews but a part of me, for whatever reason, couldn't let go that it was just some sports movie and therefore I wasn't going to like it.

False.

And it had nothing to do with the sports (besides being about baseball). I mean, the story sounds boring but it wasn't at all. It's impossible to convince you of that until you see it but the story is so much more than baseball. It's about the General Manager who went against everything he had ever learned and everyone told him was wrong to do what was right for his team. It's about breaking the rules and changing the game (not just with baseball, but in terms of a certain way of thinking).

I found it inspiring, passionate, funny and moving. At times I found it powerful. At times I found myself forming tears over a scene about baseball. While I did play it when I was a kid and have a mother who has loved the sport her whole life, I wouldn't say I'm this huge fan. Yet, after this movie was over, I wanted nothing more than to go see a baseball game.

If that doesn't make it a successful movie than Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life, Inglorious Basterds) and Jonah Hill (Get Him to the Greek, Funny People) will convince you. I was actually blown about by Hill's performance in this movie. I enjoyed him more than Pitt yet Pitt was still fantastic. I'm not sure why but Hill's character and his part in this story was the most interesting to me. Pitt was a great lead though.

I was hoping that Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March, Pirate Radio) was going to be in the film more but it was great to see him none-the-less.

If you like sports at all see this. If you don't like sports but like a good story see this. If you aren't the biggest fan of dramatic movies or sports but like movies and want to see why this is a must see of 2011 then see this.

4.5/5 ADSENSE HERE

Hugo (3.5)

(Trailer)

A boy loses his father and moves into the train station with his alcoholic uncle. Once he disappears it's up to Hugo to wind the clocks at the station and stay out of trouble. There he meets a girl who has something he and his father were looking for for a very long time...

The first 30 minutes of this movie was kind of boring. It was some boy running around crying about his dad and winding clocks. Then what you think the story is has nothing to do with it and the plot thickens. Then it starts getting interesting. THEN the story flips over and it's not even about the boy but about a completely different character and once it's about this character the movie is AMAZING (trying not to spoil anything).

So. A lot of the movie meant nothing to me. I sort of sat there and thought to myself "So people only put this on their best movies of 2011 lists because is's Scorsese..." and for the most part I still think that's true. The last 30 minutes or so of this movie are beautiful. The story is rich, the character that it is really all about is fantastic and passionate. It's like two different films. I liked the second one. I could do without the first.

I was disappointed because I wanted a little bit more magic and adventure and a lot less tears and wasted humour (at least I found the humour less than laughable when there was some).

It's hard though because I get why so many people liked this movie. I have to admit that I liked it too but only for Ben Kingsley (Lucky Number Sleven) and the story that the film is really all about. I didn't care for Hugo at all.

Still, interesting plot and I liked the idea behind the characters but it just didn't amaze me or seem enough like a wonderful dream for me to really enjoy it.

Bonuses: Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Christopher Lee.

3.5/5 ADSENSE HERE