Yeah, I came five days early to the game. So what? I like front row seats.
Rating: 9 out of 10
As we start heading into the commonly known “Oscar season”, I just get more and more excited each weekend. There is always some movie sparking my interest just around the corner, a new film I’ve been reading about for months and trying with all my powers to not let the bar of hope get raised too high. There are always going to be disappointments, even when they are good films, because I was waiting for great, but what keeps me going are those films who look up at the bar and say, “Oh yeah, not a problem.” Welcome to one of those films…
Moneyball is based on the true story of Billy Beane, a one-time possible superstar in the MLB who turned general manager of the Oakland A’s. After missing once again on his chance for the World Series crown, Beane went rogue, adopted a new system and went after players using a statistical model instead of banking on superstars. It threatened everything the game was built on, it threatened the way things were done in sports, and worst of all…it worked.
Aaron Sorkin‘s name on the poster was the first thing to catch my eye. I sat there as the lights went down and wondered if he could keep his winning streak going (his last two, Charlie Wilson’s War and The Social Network being two of my favorite all time movies). So without wanting to, my bar was already set high into the stratosphere, but as the credits rolled, I felt the film had touched the clouds. Maybe it didn’t hit open space, but still miles above most of what we see on a week-to-week basis. You could feel his power in the dialogue; some classic Sorkin work. I could almost feel particular scenes the way they would have been played on stage. The film wasn’t loaded up with as many quick witted tit-for-tat moments as his last two films, instead it flowed with much more subtlety, using a more even keel in order to lead the audience through an entire season of baseball. I don’t want to give all the credit to Sorkin, since the writing credit is split between himself and Steven Zallian (an Oscar winner himself), but I really don’t know how the work balanced out between them. That split might also be some of the reason why Moneyball doesn’t have that normal Sorkin whip-crack pacing.
Yet, no matter how well the words are written, they still have to be delivered by someone with the skill and sincerity to make them land and Brad Pitt did not disappoint. Without knowing too much of the original story beforehand I was a little concerned with seeing Pitt in this role, which I previously only thought of as a general manager of a baseball team. What really saves him and grounds it in believability is the history of Billy Beane being a failed baseball superstar. Pitt brought the subtle sorrow, the underlying regret he always had nipping at his heels, which helps fuel his desire not only to win, but also to see the game fundamentally changed. What I found most impressive was somewhere along the way, I forgot I was watching Brad Pitt. He disappeared into a dip-spitting, hand-nosed gambler just trying his damnedest to pull off the greatest underdog victory in history. Those are rare performances and they should be recognized as such.
Jonah Hill came along for the ride, playing Peter Brand, the young economics genius who helped develop the formula Beane uses to build his new championship-hopeful team. It definitely is the most dramatic role Hill has tackled so far and put him toe-to-toe with a modern-day film legend in Pitt. Hill held his own and refused to settle for sitting in Pitt’s shadow. In terms of the performances, my only disappointment was with one of my favorite living actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman. It has nothing to do with his take on Art Howe, the coach of the team under Beane. It was more to do with him barely being a part of the story. He got a precious few scenes early on in the film and then disappeared completely almost halfway through the movie. I just wish we could have gotten more of him and Pitt dueling, as he did so brilliantly with Tom Hanks in Charlie Wilson’s War.
In the end, Moneyball did reach my bar of hope and expectation, but it didn’t blow if off the chart as his past two films have.
The End of the Page recommendation: Moneyball is a solid crack to right field. For some it will clear the back wall and make some fan in the bleachers very, very happy. For others, I think it will come in as a good film, but not quite the game winner they were hoping for.
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 8:00 am. Add a comment
It’s OK. Relax, boy. They said ‘The Hills’ is being canceled.
Rating: 7 out of 10
In the last decade we have been increasingly spoiled by legendary quality in the animated film world. Pixar exploded onto the scene and suddenly changed our Sunday afternoon trip to the movies with our little ones from a chore to a joy. Parents all over the country were now dragging kids along to see cartoons the kids hadn’t even asked about yet. “Trust me, son. You haven’t seen Toy Story 1 or 2 yet, but you’ll pick it up quickly. Now stop running around or we’ll lose our place in line.” Those wonderment wizards behind the screen also took notice of the change in demographic and began to layer their fare with subtle and intelligent adult humor, making it possible (and now possibly common) to see a grown man or adult couple walking into one of these movies without a single child in tow. I applaud this shift in content because I believe it helps remind us all to be a kid ourselves time and again.
How to Train Your Dragon is the newest effort from Dreamworks Animation, the studio once saved from going under by their imaginary friend Shrek. This tale, based on a popular children’s book of the same title by Cressida Cowell, surrounds a scrawny, accident-ridden viking named Hiccup (voiced expertly by Jay Baruchel) who stumbles upon a legendary dragon that no one has laid eyes on and lived. Finding he doesn’t have the heart to kill the dragon, he becomes the proud owner of a dangerous new pet and a planet-sized secret. Oh, his dad is chief of the village as well and their main chore in life is killing dragons. It’s like sprinkles on top.
While this colorful concoction doesn’t match up with headliners like Shrek, Kung-Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens, it provides enough chuckles and consistent story flow to find itself placed above other Dreamworks outings like Flushed Away, Over the Hedge and Shark Tale. The main character of Hiccup is endearing in his self-deprecation and feels perfectly suited to the delivery of Baruchel. Also, if the animation studios have learned anything, it is to make any animal or magically living item into the most adorable thing imaginable. Dreamworks went for the gold here with their rendering of the dragon we all come to know as Toothless. They instilled him with a number of feline qualities, making him instantly loved by all cat owners in the crowd. They also have perfected the shifting of eye sizes (small for suspicion and huge for sugary-sweet cuteness) to the point where it almost feels like manipulation. I could have railed against being used like that, but I had already melted into my seat and mixed into the popcorn box below.
Other voice talents that held up their ends are Gerard Butler as Hiccup’s overly heroic Dad, Stoick, America Ferrera as the young competitor/love interest named Astrid, Jonah Hill as Snotlout (who to me sounded and looked on screen a lot like Jack Black), Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut, one half of a brother/sister twin pairing, and lastly Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the role-playiing stats nerd, Fishlegs.
The End of the Page Recommendation: How to Train Your Dragon provides enough chuckles to make it worthwhile, but the big screen is not totally necessary. Matinee pricing should be a safe bet. Oh, 2D is fine as well (skip shelling out the extra cash for 3D on this outing).
Posted 1 year, 10 months ago at 2:36 pm. 2 comments
1 – You think you have time on your hands, check out this music video made completely using the Mac desktop and programs. [via swissmiss]
2 – Fraggle Rock: The Live Action Musical, man that just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Off the bat you might think this is a crazy idea, but when Iron Man, Narnia, Inidana Jones and Wall-E prove complete and utter dominance over the box office, we can see why family films are the “green” way to go. All I really want to see in this is the Fraggles eat some Doozer buildings, which causes the Doozers to begin a Che-like revolution against their furry, multi-colored oppressors. Now that’s comedy. [via Variety]
3 – Watch the video attached to this page, then go outside and light up. I dare you. [via JoshSpear]
5 – Jonah Hill has been on a wild ride these past few years. Stealing scenes and winning over comedy critics in many of Judd Apatow’s recent hits, like Knocked Up, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but now he’s making a step I could never have seen coming. He is reportedly heading up the project, and writing the script, for a silver screen version of 21 Jump Street. I’m not one to knock the show, it brought us Johnny Depp, Dustin Nguyen and Peter Deluise, not to mention a killer theme song by actress/star Holly Robinson Peete, but I don’t know if this is something that translates well. Narc’ing in high schools and busting pot rings might not hold the weight. Yet, if there is a Booker cameo by Richard Grieco, or if he actually turns out to be the villain, now we’re talking gold. [via FilmDrunk]
7 – Foamy is back and this time I only have one word to say: cow-mouflage. [via ill will press]
8 – Have you ever wondered what “the good times” looked like? Check out this news video and learn. Pay close attention to the crawler on the bottom of the screen. [via swissmiss]
9 – Just in case you were wondering where Wile E. Coyote got all those neat gadgets, most of which he almost killed himself trying to use, here you go: The Online ACME Catalog. [via GorillaMask]
10 – It’s been years since we heard the beginning of this project, but we have finally got our first taste of Baz Luhrmann’s next epic film, Australia. Mmmmm, tastes like quality movie making to me. [via ComingSoon]
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Posted 3 years, 8 months ago at 7:48 pm. Add a comment
2 – Put a zippered door and a lightweight plasma TV inside this thing and I think I’ve found my new apartment. [via JoshSpear]
3 – The White Wizard is back and all you demons should duck and cover, beyotches! Ian McKellan has officially signed on for the Hobbit films, soon to be directed by Guillermo Del Toro. No word yet on any of the other cast that actually appear in these prequel stories, but honestly, who cares. Old dude, white hair, big stick. That’s all the army you really need to fight any battle. [via FilmDrunk]
4 – I’m a big fan of Jonah Hill, but I’m not sure if this new rumor about him co-starring against Shia in Transformers 2 is a good thing or not. He could be funnier than what they tried in the original with John Turturro, but don’t try and make me choose between him as a sidekick and more Megan Fox footage, because you don’t want to see me get angry like that. Grrr… [via Coming Soon]
5 – With the taste of the WGA strike finally beginning to leave our mouths, SAG is getting ready to show that actors can do anything the writers can and they’ll look better doing it. The current contract negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP are going nowhere and their contract ends on June 30. So watch all the TV you can right now, people, we might be back to game shows and reality debauchery before the summer is over. [via Variety]
6 – I might actually drink tea is it was made in this futuristic kettle of coolness. Or I would put hot cocoa in it with the marshmallows so I could watch them float around inside. Hours of enjoyment, seriously. [via uncrate]
7 – Marylin Manson helps develop a new brand of Absinthe. It actually wins an award at the 2008 San Fransisco World Spirits Competition. Hell may not have frozen over, but they are all certainly drunk and hallucinating now. [via uncrate]
8 – No one believed me when I said puppies were the root of all evil, but now this article about lesser known addictions proves me right. Take that, naysayers. [via GorillaMask via Cracked]
9 – Ever want to just sit back and watch tidbits of text float by telling you what people in the interweb either loved, hated, felt, wished for, etc.? Of course you did, well, here you go. Welcome to Twistori. [via Erin]
10 – For those of you tired of seeing all the insane ways people have found to play the Super Mario Brothers theme song, i’ve mixed things up for you and found people with way too much time on their hands and an unspoken love for Tetris. [via Pandachute]
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Posted 3 years, 9 months ago at 9:17 am. 2 comments
by Luke Goldstein
DandyID
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