My attempts to see Ang Lee’s much lauded adaptation of Life of Pi at the cinema was constantly thwarted as if being tested by a divine force. Whilst my own troubled journey may have lacked genuine peril, spiritual crisis or a Bengal tiger it seems appropriate that it wasn’t plain sailing. Adapting Yann Martel’s supposedly unfilmable novel for the silver screen also proved problematic, and having now watched the film it is easy to see why numerous writers and directors failed where Lee succeeded, yet whilst its journey is not without its problems, the director smartly steers this story of spiritual survival through the cinematic choppy waters (I promise to refrain from water based puns from hereon in).

Life of…

Wow.

Every year cinephiles struggle to find a film that reminds them exactly why they love cinema. The exact type of film differs from person to person, and what you look for can constantly change from year to year. But you know those films when you find them, because there's that feeling you get. You sit there with your heart and mind open. Nothing else matters. You begin to reflect on yourself and your life, and how the film relates to you. As the credits roll, you let go of your breath, as if you had been holding it in the entire time.

This year, I have found that film in Ang Lee's Life of Pi. It is the film…

I am an atheist. I get totally pissed off when I see people using the name of God to indulge in their vices and hunt for power. I get angry when someone is overtly attached to God. I have gone the distance of even swearing at them. But I am also the one who yearns, the most for God.

The only thought which over powers my thinking of "There is no God" is the earnest wish that " Things would be different in the world had God really existed"

The people who believed in God's existence bothered me greatly. I never knew why I had spent such a lot of time trying to convince people why God does not exist.…

All of life is an act of letting go but what hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.
-Pi Patel

All films have a story to tell and they are told at varying degrees of competence which in turn decides if the story becomes a great film. Some are told by great directors, some are told by great storytellers and every so often you'll get one that is told by both. Life of Pi proves to me, without a shadow of doubt, that Ang Lee was both for this film.

The film is based on the book of the same name written by Yann Martel. While I did not have the pleasure of reading the book,…

Life of Pi is the kind of film that people are either going to lose themselves in, or want to get out of. Its mesmerising digital effects will polarize audiences. Some will applaud its aesthetics only to denounce it as narratively weak and fatuous, whereas others will find themselves highly affected by it, and not just because of the dazzling CGI.

At its core this is a film about allegory and the power of storytelling. Piscine Molitor Patel (or Pi for short) is an Indian immigrant living in Canada. Approached by a novelist looking for ideas for a book, Pi begins to relate some memories from when he was a youngster. His story goes that he lived with his father,…

La vida de Pi es sin duda una sorpresa. Lo más llamativo de su propuesta es sin duda sus efectos especiales y como era de esperar por sus anuncios y trailers, son espectaculares, de lo mejor que se ha visto en años, no solamente se manejan bien las luces y el agua, sino los animales, especialmente el tigre, se vuelve un personaje mas y no un efecto especial dudando en ciertas escenas si es un tigre de verdad o de CGI.

El argumento comienza bien, me pareció muy interesante la presentación del personaje y la forma de narrar la historia. El montaje es sin duda un acierto añadiéndole rapidez y cierto toque fantástico. Destaca la originalidad de la propuesta, pero…

Wow. This movie may be one of the best films I've seen in long, long, time - and that's meaningful given the number of movies I've seen. Fantastic story telling, tons of heart, with stunning- and I mean stunning - visuals. There were moments while watching this movie in 3D that I'm pretty sure I audibly gasped in awe at what was being projected onto the screen. It is an experience, one where the act of watching the movie itself takes on an almost mystical religious experience, very much like the one being described on film. There may be some minor flaws, but, for my money, this movie was, practically speaking, perfectly executed and there is not much that I…

When I first watched LIFE OF PI, I don't think I enjoyed it much.. I saw it 2D, distracted and constantly interrupted by life. I came away not really liking it, but thinking it was a visually beautiful, but all-in-all OK film.

Saw it again tonight with a mate on his new Philips 3D TV, and, safe to say, I get the praise now. This is beautiful not only visually, but also narratively. The 3D works incredibly well, and the images are so full of life and colour. Also, I love the fact that I as an atheist can still appreciate the wonder that this movie presents, and that my interpretation is just as valid, lush and fulfilling as one…