Moneyball Trailer

I'm hearing that 1) This is this year's "Social Network" 2) Jonah Hill is fantastic in this.

How Does The Recession Impact Celebrity Culture

The economy of the United States (and the world) is metaphorically being attacked by robots, aliens, zombies, giant bugs, dinosaurs, giant mutant sharks, vampires, werewolves, and well you get the picture. The reality is that the undoing of our economy is our own fault. We allowed for things to move along without any regulation, and here we are.

So what is the effect on our celebrity culture? None really. In these tough times, it may just add to the scope of it. I feel like people are looking to the make-believe (like Megan Fox, Transformers babe above) as an escape from their real and difficult lives. Evidence of this is the massive box office for 2009. We view celebrities as almost untouchable princes and princesses. Their lives are like windows into a dream world that we wish we could live. Of course the flip side is that we are wickedly happy when they go off the rails. It makes us feel better about our own difficult personal lives .

So far we haven't seen Brad Pitt looking for work on the corner or struggling over his budget. Once that happens, things will be real crazy and we'll need a whole new set of metaphors.

The Curious Case Of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

I saw this film last night at a screening with director David Fincher. And after viewing it I'm curious about a couple of things.
1. Why anybody would not see this film this Holiday season. It has romance, action, comedy, special effects that are so good you don't realize they are special effects, and most all heart.
2. How does Brad Pitt deliver a performance as the title character that is so simple, yet so deeply emotional?
3. Where has Cate Blanchett been or trained that made her into such an incredible actress? Did she study with acting Jedi or is the performance force just strong with her.
4. What events in David Fincher's life lead up to him making such an interesting movie about a person's life. Almost every part of a human's life is tackled in this film from the first time they get drunk, to first kisses, to death? But for a filmmaker who's past work has been so bleak, what changes in a person's life to lead them to make a film so life affirming?

So if you dont' get it, I loved this movie. It's a technical triumph on every level, but more importantly, it's immensely touching. Movies like this are rare, so treat youself and see it on the big screen.