Escape to the Movies: Life of Pi

[Pickapok]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned how this movie is the professional acting debut of the actor who played Pi.

As someone who has never acted in a professional setting before this film, I feel he blew it out of the water with his performance (any qualms with the material aside).

And all of that quirkiness was there in the book. I don't understand what the big deal with it is. The writer came to him looking for a story, and he got two to chose from. Establishing the characters and their life before the ship wreck is just as important as the shipwreck itself, in a way.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Spoiler: Let's talk about that twist

As an agnostic who understands the moral grayness of the "uplifting lie versus crushing truth," I'm not one to be so harsh on the twist.

Spoiler: More about the twist

As an occasionally-spiritual-atheist, I quite like the twist. I've always very strongly believed that the only reason to believe in a god is if it makes you happy. In situations where it doesn't matter which one you believe, you might as well believe the more cheerful idea. I seem to recall that the men he tells the story to conclude that, since neither story helps to explain why the boat sunk (which is what they're actually interested in), they might as well believe the animal story. I don't really believe that gods exist. But I still sometimes pray to one, because life is tough and sometimes I feel better for imagining I have an invisible friend to help me.

 

[Stabby Joe]

Pretty cynical episode but I'm intrigued by some of the earlier points you made (literal monster island?). Granted while this Pi character sounds annoying at least it's refreshing to have an Indian lead in a film billed as highly as it is.

As for the pre-review films, I would rather see a full Lincoln review now. Still having to wait in the UK since Oscar season films are released DURING the awards for even greater marketing.

As for Silver Linings Playbook, come on Bob, granted it's not all that originals or mind blowing but the characters are interesting and well played and it's not only great to see De Niro actually ACTING for once in the last couple of years but Chris Tucker (yes THAT one) isn't annoying, actually likeable. You may not care for it but a "piece of shit"? Far from it.

 

[RTR]

This video makes me feel hungry....
Also, that last stinger was wholly appropriate. Why can't we get a film version of THAT already?!

 

[J0057Mith]

This felt quite Zero Punctuation-y to me, nonetheless, kind of what I expected, save for the apparently awkward Pi.

Also, due to the twist.

Ugh.

In fact, I specifically remember a quote from Yahtzee's review of Halo 3 where he said it had finally managed to lower his standards for a game.

Which is kind of what I see Moviebob doing here. "I'll take an almost good movie over a bad movie any day of the week" While it's his job to go see movies and therefore HAS to go, I'm obviously still putting it below Cloud Atlas and Rise of the guardians on my to-go list.

Still gonna watch it I think if only to indulge my mother's impulse to drag the entire family to something religious. Especially if it'll help avoid going to church on Christmas.

 

[vxicepickxv]

Her name's Judy. That's Doug's sister.

Yes, but for those of us who haven't seen anything relating to the show in over a decade, I'm not sure I would have gotten it if he had said Judy with her picture.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I'm impressed a little that EVERYTHING Bob says about this movie is 100% true of the book, as well.

There's a book?

Who wrote it, Nigella Lawson?
/pun

I really had no idea that this was based off a book.

There are very few movies made today that aren't based off of a book (or something else), and that's mostly because to the studios a book is proof before they invest any money into a movie that there's an audience to sell it to. Since studios buy rights to books almost in bulk there are many authors out there being payed a yearly sum and it may never be made into a movie.

OT: I've despised this movie for months and it wasn't even out yet. Why? Because every conversation I've had over the phone with my mother has involved "When are you going to see that Pi movie?" "Never, it doesn't look interesting to me. I'm not a big fan of the stranded at sea genre." It's just like with Slum-dog Millionaire, I heard so much about it I was goddamned sick of it and vowed never to watch it simply on the principle that its press campaign had annoyed me so much.

 

[Draconalis]

Oh good... Thanks to this review... I finally know what the fuck this movie is about.

 

[hentropy]

Her name's Judy. That's Doug's sister.

you + the creators, and anybody who googled it know that. everybody else knows her as Doug's sister

Yes, but for those of us who haven't seen anything relating to the show in over a decade, I'm not sure I would have gotten it if he had said Judy with her picture.

She was one of my first crushes, that's why I remember her. Still, how would you feel if a supposedly nostalgic geek expert said something like "That leader of the Transformers" when talking about Optimus Prime. And yes, I am saying Judy is just as if not more important than Optimus Prime.

 

[FireDr@gon]

Do you think we'll see a film version of The Alchemist? The two books seem to have very similar themes.

 

[Saibh]

Spoiler: Let's talk about that twist

As an agnostic who understands the moral grayness of the "uplifting lie versus crushing truth," I'm not one to be so harsh on the twist.

Spoiler: The twist

Maybe the movie didn't covey it well to everyone, but...yeah. Pi was representing a story in many different facets of his life, and the way stories negatively or positively affected people. His name means 'swimming pool', but of course it sounds like 'pissing' to more people, and since his parents just had to give him a story behind his name, he gets mocked in school for it. Until he forms his own, less negative version of the story, which is "Pi".

I think what the movie was trying to say is not that it would make atheists to convert (after all, isn't the implication of the movie that these are lies we tell ourselves?), but rather to make one understand the type of God that religious people believe in, and whereby understanding it, you might believe in their version as being more "real" than the actual metaphysical presence of a deity.

In the darkest version, Life of Pi is telling the story of a traumatized boy who sees ultimate depravity--and who begins to lose touch with humanity--make up stories to console himself. That is why it seems whimsical--because that's the kind of lie he's telling himself. He couldn't have hid the horrible truth in any other way, and I believe we're supposed to be feeling religion might be a way of doing the same thing. But you can see where that uplifting lie is better than the harsh reality.

 

[DigitalSushi]

I'm impressed a little that EVERYTHING Bob says about this movie is 100% true of the book, as well.

I really had no idea that this was based off a book.

I THORoughly recommend you read the book

Just thought I'd put a God in my post.

I'll be going to see this movie next week, and I'm fucking psyched about it, can't wait. The life of Pi is the one piece of literature that beats Batman, its like paper/ scissors / rock, batman beats all of them... but TIGER ON A BOAT AND YOUR ALL ALONE IN THE FUCKING OCEAN AND ITS GOING TO EAT YOUR FUCKING FACE

Hope you bought some "Tiger on a boat thats gonna eat your face repellent batspray" batman.

 

[plainlake]

Well not to start another religious flamewar, but if you get really down to it I think most religious people believe because they want the world to be a be a little less chaotic and that their lives have some bigger purpose.

Offcourse the big religions have text and prophecies that doesent really work IRL, and that is where the problems start.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

So watch it cos it looks nice? No i wont. If the story sucks then why bother watching it? Spending money to watch it?

 

[themilo504]

nice review but did moviebob just make a persona 3 reference moviebob if you?re reading this I would love to know if you actually played persona 3.

Movie seems oke its message is stupid personally I don?t find the idea of an omnipotent god very uplifting even if he is really all loving.

Also this video made me hungry for pie.

 

[Silk_Sk]

I thought Bob was above butthurt /r/athiest whine-botting but I suppose nobody's perfect. God to me has always been a concept beyond the logistics of reality or fiction. Present in both, exclusive to neither. Saying he exists just because it's more fun that way is as good an argument as any for both sides of the debate. Really, the problem with God is that everyone's concept of him is too limited. God is unlimited, completely and utterly. Taken to it's logical extreme, there is no possible argument for his existence because any logical concept of him would define a limit to him that we can conceive of. He exists simply because he can't not exist, they same way you and I do. Pi's argument is that it is necessary for us to believe in God because it is necessary for us to be uplifted. The other half of that argument is that if God did not exist then it wouldn't be necessary for us to be uplifted in the first place.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

I quite enjoyed the book and liked the fact that the author's story did not make a huge amount of sense under close inspection giving the idea that maybe this guy has one foot in fairyland anyway. The big twist I thought was excellently done in the book under that context. It sucked all the fantasy out of the book fantastically and you saw Pi for what anyone would be after that ordeal.

I didn't really feel like the religion aspect was put forward so strongly. I thought it was pretty natural that someone who went through all that might believe in God. I would need to see the movie to judge it for myself. If it's having faith in an Empire of the Sun kinda way I'm down with it. If it's like Soul Surfer. fuck this film