Hieronymus Bosch was a famous 16th century Renaissance painter who created large, busy imagery that conveyed religious and moral concepts. A typical Bosch painting can be compared somewhat to a Where’s Waldo poster, as they often seem busy, over populated and feature overwhelming amounts of detail. What does any of this have to do with Wolf of Wall Street? Actually nothing, but Hieronymus Bosch is the analogy Leonardo DiCaprio used to describe this Oscar nominated film. DiCaprio goes on to point toward the complexity, chaos and the debauchery depicted in many of Bosch’s paintings. In the middle of it all, sometimes you’ll see an emperor, a man who is the ruler of his own destiny. This is the layer of reality from which Wolf takes place. The Wolf of Wall Street is the true tale (honestly) of Jordan Belfort, the unscrupulous stock trader and salesman extraordinaire who became nearly...

Hijacking, greed, and America.

The Facts

Between 2005 and 2012, Somali Pirates have asked for an estimated $339-$413 Million dollars in ransom for the vessels, cargo and crew they have held hostage at sea. Modern day piracy is a real problem that has moved from mere fishermen attacking ships to fully organized crime rings that include Elders, Financiers, Commanders, Security Squad, Negotiators, Mother Ship Crew and finally Attack Squads. To put it into perspective, in 2012, 177 attacks took place on cargo ships, and 2013 saw the first drop in attacks with only 138 incidents of piracy occurring. This seems troubling, but taking into consideration how many cargo ships pass by Somalia, pirates only attack about 0.5% of all shipping traffic. And of those attacks, only 0.2% are successful in capturing the ships.

The true story

In 2009, the Maersk Alabama—a Danish ship with an...

“…the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” t.s. eliot

Philomena is yet another true story, but despite the happy, bubbly image the movie poster evokes, do not be fooled. Philomena is the deep story of love, forgiveness and religion.

Story

Philomena Lee was a young Irish girl who was unmarried and pregnant. Unfortunately, Philomena’s plight was to be banished to an Abbey where nuns delivered her baby boy. Denying her pain medication or even to call a doctor, the nuns explain that her suffering was atonement for her sin. After a few wonderful years with her son, the Abbey eventually sells her son to a family for £1,000. Some 50 years later, Philomena has not forgotten the past. After meeting a disgruntled former BBC journalist and outspoken atheist named Martin, the unlikely duo begins their search of Philomena’s long...

Don’t judge a book by its cover

The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” best sums up my experience with 12 Years a Slave. Knowing very little about the true story of Solomon Northup, I was somewhat surprised when a friend of mine mentioned that of the 9-Oscar nominated films, this is the one she was dying to see. I do not necessarily think my lack of interest in the film could be accredited to its merit, but rather to my eagerness to see other films (notably, Captain Phillips, which I have yet to see). At any rate, 12 Years a Slave blew my expectations out of the water. Here is why…

Story.
12 Years a Slave is the true story of Solomon Northup, a free man, who was abducted into slavery in 1841. Captured in Washington D.C., Northup ended up in Louisiana, where he suffered at the hands of many different slave owners before proving his legal status and being freed once again 12...

The beauty is in the fight.

Am I surprised to see Nebraska nominated? Not really. I feel that the Academy did a good job picking an obscure film that few people have heard of. Nebraska was not a multi- million-dollar Hollywood blockbuster, and it didn’t try to be. Nebraska, for those who don’t know, is a story about Woody, an elderly man who “win’s” 1 Million dollars through a magazine subscription scam. He must now make his way from Montana to Nebraska (a 1,300km journey) to claim his “prize”. Clinging to his “winner” certificate, Woody faces opposition from his wife, children and the police, who all believe that his dementia has gotten the best of him.

Thoughts. Nebraska is a fictitious film with a story that resonates in the hearts and minds of many. If you have ever worked in the health care industry or have grandparents of age then many of the scenes from this film simply are...

Gravity, perhaps the most surprising film nominated this year. I consider myself to be a fairly up-to-date individual when it comes to news and world events, and I believe that I am fairly familiar with pop culture. However, I was surprised to see “Gravity” nominated for an Oscar because I had never heard of this film before. I am not saying I hadn’t seen the movie, I mean that I had never heard of it, read a review, seen a trailer or even a poster I can recall. I simply did not know this movie was in existence! But maybe there is a magical motif there, as most space movies revolve around the concept of being alone, out of communication with others and lost eternally.

Plot
I’ll let IMDB summarize the plot of the film. “A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.”

Now, moving on….

Critics

As you may expect from the...

What makes a movie “best picture” material?
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. A best picture is not perhaps one single characteristic, but rather a culmination of many things. A best picture nominee should for example have a captivating story that is unique, special, complex or simple in its own way. It also should (as history shows) feature a famous cast, or a cast that is yet to be “discovered”. The cast should have the emotional capacity to draw the viewer in and transport them to another place, where they could obtain an understanding of what the characters are experiencing or feeling. This experience of guided-discovery for the viewer should be narrated through the use of sound and song, which helps convey the overall message of the film.

With all that being said, how does Dallas Buyers Club stack up?

Basic Plot
In brief, Ron Woodroof is an electrician/cowboy who...

Director: David O. Russell

2013 was a big year for David O. Russell. Silver Linings Playbook received many, many nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and TIFF’s People’s Choice Award to name a few. David appears to have continued the hot streak one year later with American Hustle being the second movie since 1981 to be nominated for all four acting categories—Best actor (Christian Bale), Best Actress (Amy Adams), Best Supporting Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence).
Fun fact. The first movie to receive this honor since 1981, was David’s O’s 2012 Silver Linings Playbook.

Awards aside, what actually is the movie about? Spoilers
The film begins by introducing us to Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), a con man who despite his shady career, is madly in love with his son, and wishes to be the best father he possibly can.
While...

A few years ago, I took a university course entitled “Film, Faith & Popular Culture”. The course sought to bring together art house and mainstream films and popular culture in conversation with Christian faith. At the time, I thought it would be an easy credit… except for one problem; I hated movies.

Yes, I said it. Previously, in my former life, I held contempt toward movies. Why is that you may ask? The answer was simple; movies are a cop-out to socialization.

Movies, in many situations are the vehicle that allows us to fulfill our human need for socialization, all the while being completely alone emotionally. Movies often rob us of social intimacy, while providing cheap thrills in return.

So what changed? One word. Art.
I have always been an art lover; whether it is music, painting, typography or design, art is all around us and helps shape how we interact with the world...