Beau and I watched two movies tonight:

Life of Pi and a French movie Sleepless Night. Pi is a good movie, but I am disappointed in that I think the movie could have been EXCELLENT. I loved the first half of the movie. Just loved it - and I thought the movie was going to be about Pi. It most definitely was not about him, but about his journey (spiritual and physical). I think about what an interesting young man he was at the beginning of the film and just about all of that was washed out (no pun intended) by the boat accident and what followed. It seems to me to be a real shame because I wanted to know more about Pi. I realize that this means the religious/spiritual aspect were somewhat lost on me. Maybe the book links this a bit better.

I just think about what could have been done with this story. For example, at the beginning of the movie, the boy's father tries to warn his son about the brutality of the tiger and makes him watch while a tiger kills a goat in a vicious fashion. This was because Pi had become too careless around the tiger. It seems to me this is a powerful precursor to the tiger in the main story - whether that symbolized Pi or not, although especially if it did symbolize him.

But the lessons I take from it are apparently not the same lessons the author wanted readers to take from it.

The second movie was really gritty. It is about a couple of French men who do a bold heist and a drug lord retaliates. The movie is action-packed, not particularly realistic, but it felt like a Jason Statham movie - with a less charismatic leading man. It is not boring, a little trite, and the ending is a bit abrupt. I could probably see Steve McQueen doing a version of this movie 40 years ago.

It's funny that you say that because, in my memory of the book, which I really liked, while the opening was longish (some might say boring), most of it was on the boat. There are explanations of his name and life, but not to the extent that's in the movie, and I don't remember getting a good idea of his family. Plus, he's younger, so the girl is a complete invention of the film.

But it has been some time since I read it.

I think the major flaw with the movie, besides the awkwardness of the bookends, is that the opening should have been cut way down.

Thanks for the heads up re: Sleepless Night. I love the idea of a film that is part Luxembourgeois!

heh. I liked the opening! I thought the boat part is the part that got boring. How funny.

Let me know if you see SN.

I have now officially seen more people sneering how Catwoman Only Won Her Award Because It Was One Take With No Cuts than I've seen people claiming Catwoman Should Get The Award Because It Was One Take With No Cuts.

You should have heard my son complaining How She Should Have Gotten The Oscar For Playing Catwoman Because Batman Is Awesome And Who Wants To Watch A Movie About Being Miserable Anyway.

She should have gotten an Oscar for Rachel Getting Married, but I'd have accepted a Dark Knight Rises Oscar. Actually, I'm perfectly happy with the Les Miserables Oscar even though I haven't seen it yet.

I'm an unabashed Anne Hathaway fan, though, so I can possibly be safely ignored.

I don't have feelings for Anne Hathaway either way, but I agree with someone on a film podcast I listen to who said (roughly) that she created the emotional movie moment of the year and that's really the only rationalization you need.

I am a bit baffled by the Anne Hathaway bashing I've seen since most of it has been bashing *her* (for not being "genuine enough" or some other bullshit) not the performance. Just tacky.

Yeah, I really don't get the Anne Hathaway hate. Some people don't like that she acts surprised even though she keeps winning?

I can take Anne Hathaway a whole lot more than Taylor Swift. If I hadn't seen Anne interviewed and giving shit to the interviewers on occasion, I might not like her as much as I do. I kind of wish that spunk were more apparent when she gives speeches after winning awards. She seems to take herself a bit seriously.

But oh well. All actors kind of do and I think they are nervous when they accept awards. She was better at Oscars than Golden Globes.