Sunday 5 April 2015

Brad Pitt

The MAP Club recently met for a night of Brad Pitt! An American sex symbol, Brad first gained international attention as a cowboy hitch-hiker in Thelma & Louise and has since starred in numerous hit films, including 12 MonkeysTroy, Oceans Eleven, Oceans Twelve and Oceans Thirteen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and World War Z, among others. Pitt produced The Tree of Life and Moneyball, both of which were nominated for Academy Awards, as well as The Departed and 12 Years A Slave, both of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He is  married to American Actress Angelina Jolie, who he famously fell in love with on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith while still married to Jennifer Aniston. For MAP club we chose to watch the baseball drama Moneyball and one of Brad's most iconic films, the cult hit Fight Club.

The religious calendar prevented us from buying ingredients to cook dinner for the meeting so we had pizza delivered, taking us back to childhood slumber parties. We drank Mountain Dew and ate Easter chocolate. We had a great night with Brad earning another patch for our MAP club T-shirts, and our thoughts on the films are below.

         

Billy on Moneyball: "To be honest, I wasn't even really aware of this film before MAP club and I didn't know what to expect, but the film was both interesting and enjoyable. Brad gives a convincing performance as a former baseball prodigy now desperately trying to restore hope and turn around a struggling baseball team as an ambitious but controversial GM. Competing with clubs with much bigger budgets, Billy Beane (Pitt) employs a new assistant and uses mathematics, statistics and science to change the way the game is played forever. It's not my favourite Brad Pitt film but well worth a watch. Those not into sports shouldn't be deterred as the actual footage of baseball is kept to a surprising minimum."

Lette on Moneyball: "It's a film about a baseball team but there isn't really any baseball in it, genius! As with a lot of Brad Pitt films he's eating in most scenes, why does he do that? I've been looking on other blogs for the answer so I can include it in this blog but there isn't anything definitive. Jonah Hill is brilliant as always and extremely convincing as an economics nerd. Chris Pratt (dreamboat) is a welcome addition to the cast and it was a pleasant surprise to see Philip Seymour Hoffman in his role as the team manager. My verdict: Eye candy game strong, critical acclaim well deserved."

Billy on Fight Club: "I love this film! It's cool, it's surprising, it's intelligent, and it's funny. It's both critical of modern society's values and sexy at the same time. One could easily watch this film simply for the numerous scenes featuring a shirtless and ripped Brad, but actually it's the intimacy of the characters that drew me in, who are living on a psychological knife-edge. The film asks questions of the audience about the need to conform versus the desire to let go, the need for authority versus the desire to rebel, and the need for human connection versus the desire to be independent and free. Easily my favourite Brad film, I could watch Fight Club again and again. It's genius. Now, hand me the soap."

Lette on Fight Club: "There's no way we could have done the Brad Pitt MAP Club meeting without viewing this classic. Who would have thought a violent film revolving around a serial support group attendant and a soap maker would be so good?! David Fincher is one of the greatest directors of our time and he and Brad Pitt are such a winning combination, bravo boys. I love watching a film where the twist at the end is actually surprising and Fight Club doesn't disappoint, don't worry, no spoilers here. The wardrobe department deserve a mention for their impeccable rave ensembles Brad wears and the special effects at the end are a great reminder of how far CGI technology has come. My verdict: Brad in his prime, Jared Leto looks good as an albino." 

The Brad Pitt completion patch.
Billy's MAP club T-shirt.
Lette's MAP club T-shirt.

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