Million Dollar Arm

PG, 2014, Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring: Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Alan Arkin

Jon Hamm continues an incredibly lingering transition to the big screen with Disney’s American hit MILLION DOLLAR ARM, part sports drama, part romance, part fish-out-of-water comedy which combines to make up what is essentially a biographical rags-to-riches tale.

Tracking the story of sports agent JB Bernstein (Hamm) and an innovative idea which takes him to India (via a path of self-enlightenment and Britain’s Got Talent), we are introduced to his tough-to-like cynic who, whilst residing in a pristine apartment decorated with a flash car on the drive, spends his days dating models, soullessly shunning hellos from Lake Bell’s kooky tenant, Brenda.

With this being Disney, there is a humanity hiding away under that surface. Hamm conveys it neatly, striding through the 124-minute running time with the sophisticated allure of an actor direct from Hollywood’s Golden Age; a real movie star. Akin to his Mad Men counterpart Don Draper, Bernstein is best utilised communicating for professional gain. Willing to go to uncharted lengths to revive his flagging career, and rather oddly inspired by a convenient bout of channel-hopping (Amanda Holden making her Disney debut…), he travels to India to find the ‘million dollar arm’ – a baseball pitcher to rival the best of them. Step forward two equally as impressive finds with varying techniques; Rinku and Dinesh (Life of Pi’s Suraj Sharma and Slumdog Millionaire’s Madhur Mittal, both holding their own).

A film of two parts, the film’s India-set scenes are a real delight with Hamm’s fish-out-of-water arc making him all raised eyes and exasperated glances – aided by Pitobash Tripathy’s true comedic knack as baseball fanatic Amit Rohan. Your laughter may just catch you off guard. Alan Arkin’s arrival as sports scout Ray Poitevint, a dynamite performance which completely steals the film from all, is balanced shrewdly, failing to throw the film wide and reintroducing him when repetition spills through the cracks.

Bernstein struggles to add ‘mentor’ to his capabilities once back in the States, and this paves the way for Lake Bell’s Brenda to complete his transition. Her character is adorable as hell and simply adds to the mixture pot of never-overwhelming sweetness. The friendship she develops with the two strangers in a strange land rings true, with Brenda becoming the mouthpiece for Rinku and Dinesh’s confidence issues. As the story propels forward, the main cast all click nicely into place offering the film its share of memorable moments (just try not to grin when Rinku and Dinesh catch Bernstein sneaking out of Brenda’s room the morning after the night before, each actor nailing what director Craig Gillespie asks of them).

Despite no uncertainty of the ultimate destination, MILLION DOLLAR ARM somehow keeps your attention held, providing a well-structured if overlong journey that has no right to be this charming. While not the home run Disney may have been aiming for, Gillespie’s film will fix a smile onto your face – and it will be worth a million dollars.

4/5

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #6:

LIFE OF PI 

Out of all the nominees, Life of Pi has hauled in the most money at the box office, Ang Lee’s translation of Yann Martel’s ‘unfilmable’ novel proving – after all – very filmable, and equally as watchable. A success for all ages, its Oscar recognition was probable, especially in the technical categories. Ang Lee himself notched up a third nomination in the Directing category (his previous for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain - the latter for which he won.) Wholly deserved, he proved with Life of Pi he could juggle a huge budget, whilst dabbling in the realm of 3D – and still deliver a visually-awesome crowd-pleaser. Would have loved to see Richard Parker nominated, alas.

Will it win?

Considering my money is on Ang Lee to take the Best Director award from under Spielberg’s nose, its chances are raised… However, I’m sold on the fact that this year the winner of Best Director won’t be won by the filmmaker behind the Best Picture – so, its chances dwindle with that in mind. It has the Hugo appeal, but that film didn’t quite pip The Artist to the post last year.

Film: 4/5 
Chances of Winning: 3/5


Read my Life of Pi review here

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Oscar Best Picture Rundown #3:

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

The shortest film amongst a set of films which almost half exceed the 2 hour barrier, Beasts of the Southern Wild may have had the lowest budget and the most unknown talent attached, but nothing has prevented Benh Zeitlin’s independent charmer, about a community beyond a levee in New Orleans, from being recognised... wholeheartedly deserved recognition, at that. Zeitlin’s nomination for Director may have been stolen from under Affleck’s nose, but this feat isn’t to be taken away from the first-timer. Quvenzhané Wallis’ groundbreaking nomination for Best Actress – at 9, the youngest ever – solidifies Beasts as the film that is happy not to win, but grateful to be nominated none-the-less.

Chances of Winning:

Appearing alongside the powerhouse hefty films in the mixer this year (Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln,)  counts Beasts of the Southern Wild squarely out of this race - although, love for the film hs been expressed by a few big names in Hollywood, meaning it could potentially have several votes behind it.

Film: 4.5/5
Chances of Winning: 2/5

Read my Beasts of the Southern Wild review here

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Life of Pi

2012, PG, Directed by Ang Lee 
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu

Much has been said about the doubt that surrounded the production of Life of Pi when the rights to adapt Yann Martel's novel were acquired almost a decade ago. Directors came and went (M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuaron, Jean-Pierre Jeunet) before Ang Lee took hold and - thankfully - never let go. The doubt stemmed from what is the film's centrepiece second act; a boy's family and animals from their dried-up zoo are being escorted from India to Canada when a storm causes the ship to go down. The boy, Piscine Patel (shortened to Pi due to a bout of bullying) is stranded in the middle of the ocean with nothing for company except Richard Parker; a savage Bengal tiger. That Lee successfully imagines Martel's pages is an understatement; visually, this is a success of home-run proportions.

The film's opening in India, doubled with the glorious soundtrack pitted to the roaming animals of the family's zoo is perhaps one of the most aesthetically-pleasing opening credits sequence that completely captures what this film is about - 3D has never been so relaxing. Once the shipwreck has occurred - the 3D of which has never been so breathless - the visual interplay between Pi and his animal companions (not to spoil anything, but there's a few) is movie magic, the unpredictability of the creatures ramping up the heart race. Ang Lee may have once weighed down his interpretation of Hulk with unnecessarily bold bravura, but if Life of Pi is lesson learned then Hulk could find fresh appreciation in Hollywood. Lee creates scenes within scenes, changing nothing but backdrop and uses the heavy inclusion of water to his advantage; the number of underwater scenes that depict characters as if they're soaring through the clouds is, simply put, pleasant to watch. Just sit back and revel at the spectacle of a whale leaping out of the expansive sea, luminescent with jellyfish.

As for the film’s acting talent, Suraj Sharma's debut which sees him acting alongside nothing but CGI (the most finely-tuned since Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is so on the money you don’t even realise it. No wonder he’s just been selected for the BAFTA Rising Star award. Irrfan Khan and Rafe Spall as the adult Pi and a writer looking for a good story respectively hits the right notes in the bookending present-day scenes. Whichever way you view the divisive third act may slightly hamper your enjoyment of all that has come before and will leave you hungry for explanation; however, the film’s spiritual undertone is prevalent from the outset, and does require you to extend your mind if you wish to draw conclusions from the narrative, even though ambiguity will still remain. Because at its core, Life of Pi isn’t a film about belief – it’s about storytelling...and what a story this is.

4/5

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