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 Monkeys, Troy, 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.

Cate Blanchett

For our first MAP club meeting we watched two films starring Australian actress Cate Blanchett. Cate is famous for her diverse variety of screen roles, playing strong female characters in films such as The Aviator, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and her critically acclaimed stage performances, starring in numerous productions including Hedda Gabler and A Streetcar Named Desire. She first gained international attention in her role in the 1998 film Elizabeth, in which she played Elizabeth 1 of England. For this role she won Best Actress at the BAFTA awards and the Golden Globes, and was nominated for an Academy Award, but missed out on the gong. In 2013 she did win the Best Actress Academy Award (as well as the BAFTA and Golden Globe) for her role as Jasmine in the Woody Allen directed dark comedy-drama, Blue Jasmine. Elizabeth and Blue Jasmine were the two films we chose to watch for the MAP club.

The evening went very smoothly, with the exception of some subtitle issues in Elizabeth - this did make for some enjoyable commentary however. We enjoyed a fine cuisine of lamb, roasted potato and peas accompanied by fresh mango smoothies, with chocolate popcorn and TV mix choc-coated sultanas and nuts for dessert. We watched the films in chronological order, beginning with Elizabeth, and our thoughts on the films are below.

Billy on Elizabeth: "This is a wonderful film, truly enchanting and exact in it's portrayal of England in a period plagued by both internal and external conflict. Elizabeth is a fascinating character, tormented with internal debates about her identity, the state of religion in her empire, her loves, her legacy and how she intends to rule. I thought Cate was brilliant in this role and I love this film. She does some particularly lovely dancing. Play a volta!"

Lette on Elizabeth: "What an excellent choice to kick off the inaugural MAP club meeting. Elizabeth is Cate Blanchett at her very best propped up by a brilliant supporting cast, well deserving of the acclaim, praise and awards received. My verdict: Highly recommended. If you're extra keen there's also a sequel (not viewed on MAP club time). If you like Game of Thrones, you'll love Elizabeth." 

Billy on Blue Jasmine: "This was the second time I watched Blue Jasmine, and I must say I enjoyed it more the first time. I think it's an incredibly human film, and Cate is flawless in her execution of this role - she is fascinating to watch. But for me that's where the joy ends. There aren't many other standout highlights and I don't think it's Woody Allen's best work. You watch this film for Cate, and it is worth it for that."

Lette on Blue Jasmine: "Brilliant acting from our Cate in this one. Watching Blue Jasmine I am reminded that I have a huge crush on Alec Baldwin, I'd love to do a MAP club night featuring him, what a spunk, I digress. I agree with Billy that it's not Woody's best work but I think if you're a fan of his productions, you'll still thoroughly enjoy this film. My verdict: If you're late to the party and haven't seen this film yet, where have you been?"

The Cate Blanchett completion patches for our MAP club T-shirts.