Life of Pi - it really did go on forever

Life of Pi, 3/30/13, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, 2012

Did you hear that sound? That was my sense of whimsy dying, with a thud. Some people might say I never had a sense of the whimsical, and they might be right. First, I will say, this was a visually captivating movie, beautifully filmed and stunning. Great, awesome...Other than that, it was allegory wrapped in metaphor coated in a not subtle theological message. My favorite (can you sense the sarcasm through the Internet?). It sort of reminded me of that bloated 'masterpiece' from 2011, Tree of Life directed by Terrence Malick, which had some great visual sequences, but not much else. I didn't care; I felt every time the grown up Pi opened his mouth he was preaching at me. Gerard Depardieu's appearance was gratuitous (not the character of the Cook, but just him); he has put on some great performances; this was just a ham-fisted job on his part, maybe he should move to Belgium. I think Steven Spielberg should have won for Lincoln or perhaps David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook (just a thought since I haven't seen it yet). At first I thought I should have seen this in the theater to really get all the impact of the visual effects, then I just realized I saved myself $10 and the aggravation of watching the movie.  Do I recommend it? If you like that type of movie ('inspirational', message-y), then sure. I recommended a great documentary earlier today, Undefeated, which is inspirational and uplifting and shows heartache and compassion. That's what I would watch.