AND WHEN YOU LOSE HOPE IN THE WORLD AROUND YOU : "REMEMBER THE TITANS"

I’m going to be a little bit partial here. I’m going to go out on a limb. There really is nothing like a Disney film, is there? I reckon this goes not only for the cartoons we all – well, almost all – know and love so well. They’re good at selecting pick me up, feel good movies of a more grown up kind too. Now, it may seem to the untrained eye that a feel-good movie is a easy thing to knock together. If you think about it, the biggest criticism these films get is that they are a little too simplistic in their approaches and solutions. This is precisely the trap inherent in making a film like this. Sure, you want a solution, you want things to be alright in the end, but hey, you want it to be realistic too if you want people to “actually” get a kick out of the film. So what better thing to do than to base yourself in real life? Oh don’t shake your head at me like that. I’m as much a “realist” as the next person. And true, life is never just “black or white”. But occasionally you know, things work out spectacularly well. As it did in the case of the Titans.

Of course for our generation this seems both antiquated and foolish, but back in the day racial segregation was a part of life. And people, as you may well know, are not that partial to their day to day lives just “changed” like that. This is what happened when a small town in suburban Virginia  in 1971 when the local highschool is forced by law to racially integrate. Mayhem rules supreme at the very thought, but nowhere as much as in the highschool football team. Not only must the team now be “mixed race”, but the team has a new coach. And Coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is not only replacing the beloved former coach, coach Yoast (Will Patton) but he is also, well, black. Coach Boone is determined to show everyone he is more than capable of being a good coach to his team but even if he somehow manages to get his players to integrate and become a true team, will they be able to resist peer pressure and sustain that team spirit throughout the year? Will Coach Boone be able to withstand the constant pressure on him personally and make his fledgling Titans truly great?

It is truly bizarre to think that people as recent as in 1971 were thrown into an uproar at the very idea of a racially integrated school. It is even more incomprehensible that people who actually still think the same thing exist today. But it is a comfort to know that for the most part, most of us have left this kind of shallow prejudice well and truly behind us. I mean, of course this is basically a sports movie and a buddy movie combined. It is a well-made “mainstream” film and some might add “and nothing more”. But I would disagree. The film has done well to borrow from real life as unlike a lot of films of its genre the finale is far from being a glowing, all round positive. But then again, not everything in life glows – or is positive. On the other hand this doesn’t stop the good overcoming “generally” either.

The other good thing about it is that the characters are also presented warts and all. Coach Boone is far from “the perfect coach”, and there are times even a child can (and vociferously does) point out his mistakes and shortcomings. The film, at this point, does what we all should strictly speaking do. Concentrates on the good and not the bad. Moves forward to create something good and new. Cue fuzzy warm feelings inside – no wonder this is so many people’s favourite film… 

A TRUE STORY OF IMPOSSIBLE ODDS, I GIVE YOU : "CINDERELLA MAN"

On Christmas, especially after copious amounts of food and drink, I am not in the mood for complicated artworks. I am, as you know, a particular fan of films that get the proverbial “little grey cells” whirring, but not today. This is why cheesy Christmas classics came into being. I am not talking about one of those however. I am talking about an emotional story of impossible odds being surmounted by sheer courage, determination and hard work. And I’ll tell you something else, it’s a true story to boot. I give you, James J. Braddock.

James J. Braddock (Russel Crowe) was a boxer in the mid to late ‘20s. He was a rising star, set to do great things. He lived with his wife Me (Rennee Zellwegger) and three children in relative comfort, luxury and happiness until… The Great Depression. Like many people in the States, Braddock loses everything. He has to beg for shifts on the docks for any sort of hope of getting some income to feed his family. They now live in a shack in a shantytown, barely able (and not always that) to pay for their most basic needs. His dreams of fame and fortune seem like a flicker at an incredible distance until his ex-manager and very old friend manages to get him one last fight. Braddock hasn’t fought in years, he is a lot older besides, no one gives him much of a chance… Until he actually wins the fight. This is the beginning of a renaissance, as it were. Although, it seems positively unbelievable. Because this one-time champion, now dock worker, has actually got his sights set on being the world heavyweight champion. Is he out of his mind? Or is there an actual chance he could make it?

Admit it. Realism, storylines etc. aside, we all love it when the good guys get the prize in the end. We all love it when the underdog wins through impossible odds. Especially in a matter like boxing. I mean, yes, it is violent and everything but there is something deeply satisfying about our kind hearted hero beating the evil bad-guy to a bloody pulp with his bare hands (Come on, admit it). And of course there is a delicious bad guy; one Max Baer who was infamous for actually killing people in the boxing ring. To be fair on the man, as he was actually a real person, he was probably just a boxer who was doing his job and getting on with his PR but still. He suits the purposes of this film very, very well. And ironically (or not) he happens to be the person Braddock needs to fight to win the world title… In short, as you can imagine, the whole atmos of the film is very suitable for too much turkey, indigestion and large amounts of wrapping paper.

And, to be fair, even if you know how the story ends (to be honest, a – You can probably guess from my review how it ends and b – You can Google it and find it out in a heartbeat- I did haha) it detracts nothing from the emotion of the film. I watched with baited breath, I bounced up and down, I actually ran round the room yelling instructions at one point. You can’t help but admire the man. And enjoy the film. Despite all of its conventionality, it has undoubtedly made my top 10.

A FEELGOOD TRUE STORY : "MONEYBALL"

I am, as I write this entry (though probably not as you read it, if you get what I mean) back in my home country for a well-earned Easter break. Back home for Easter means, as we all pretty much know, spending time with the family and doing all those things we miss doing together. For me and Mom this is, specifically, shopping for DVDs. As we wondered down the aisles of the DVD store, desperately trying to limit our selection Mom actually pounced on this. “Oh look, this was an Oscar® film. And there’s Brad Pitt in it, I like him.” Pretty much a keeper. I silently questioned the wisdom of buying a film about a sport I know categorically nothing about, but the whole point of the exercise was to spend time together so I didn’t go all film theory on her. Thus when we sat down to watch the film, I had literally no expectations from it other than providing an excuse for me and Mom to exchange opinions concerning Brad Pitt. Now, up to a point, I wasn’t that wrong. There were bits of the film I understood categorically nothing about. But I don’t blame the film for that if you see what I mean, for a sports film to be a sports film there has to be a goodly amount of sports in it, I can accept that. The important bit is, however, that there was a large and emotionally engaging bit that I did understand, and here is a summary of that bit: Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is the general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. It is not a job to be envied. The team is literally the bottom of the pile with very little in the way of funds and a whole set of scouts and managers whose opinions date from the previous century. The way things are going, the team is pretty much two steps away from being wiped off the map. And things seem pretty much set to go as they always have, that is in everyone’s opinion except Billy’s. Billy is a high-school graduate who has worked on nothing but baseball, but unlike the rest of the managerial team, he can spot a good idea when he sees it. And the good idea comes in the form of 25 year-old Yale graduate Peter Brand. Peter has some pretty interesting ideas as to how he and Billy can turn the Athletics around. If they can get literally everyone else to act on their ideas that is… They will, as we now know, end up changing baseball as we know it… Now what, I hear you ask, differentiates this film from your common or garden “one man against the system” film. Well, in my opinion it’s its realism and honesty. I mean, yes, the film is based on a true story. But you have true stories and true stories right, and then you have padding to make the characters look good. Not so here. Beane’s flaws and his erroneous decisions are openly portrayed here. Pitt gives Beane a certain quiet, yet dogged and determined character, the Beane Pitt portrays is not a man of many words, but once he is on to something he is not going to let go of it, pretty much like a “terrier on a trouser leg”. Then there is the unlikely team they bring together. You cannot help feeling for the guys, I don’t want to give too much of the plot away but hey, they are a minor team with not much money, you can imagine what kind of players they can afford – though mind you, there is a lot of method in their perceived madness. I am so glad that Hollywood, in some cases anyway, can give all we love about Hollywood (a good, uplifting story, big name stars like Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffmann who plays one of the biggest obstacles in Beane’s path) without actually whitewashing the place. If you see what I mean. Like I said, my lack of knowledge concerning baseball was more than a bit of a hindrance, but the producers had obviously thought of that because I could follow the plot even if I didn’t know the intricate technicalities of the matter. So I say go for it. Even if you don’t particularly like baseball. And definitely go for it if you do like it…