When I read Michael Lewis’ Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game when it was published in 2003, I never dreamed it would be turned into a movie. Brad Pitt, in an obvious labor of love, took this story about Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics major league baseball team and produced an insightful and off-beat film. Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane as a man struggling with his own failure in baseball. But Pitt’s character also has the instincts to go with a new concept. You wouldn’t think that audiences would be interested in watching an exercise in sabermetrics, a statistical approach to building a team. But Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay captures the initial condemnation of Beane’s approach and, later, the thrill of victory. Jonah Hill as Yale University trained economist Peter Brand who introduces Billy Beane to sabermetrics delivers a solid performance. Even people who don’t care for baseball will enjoy Moneyball. GRADE: B+
MONEYBALL [Blu-ray]
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Back in the Seventies, I was reading Richard Stark’s Parker novels in order. Parker is a professional thief who undertakes carefully planned capers in every book. But, of course, things go wrong. Things go very wrong in Slayground, my favorite Parker novel. Parker, his occasional partner (and actor) Grofield, and a driver knock off an armored car. But in the ensuing escape, the driver crashes the car. Parker flees the scene of the crime with a satchel holding $73,000. But things go from bad to worse when Parker accidentally witnesses a pay-off between the local gangster and two dirty cops. Then Parker takes refuge in a shut-down amusement park, preparing for the gangsters who will come to kill him. I always thought that Slayground would have made a great film in the Die Hard series as Parker stealthily takes out gangster after gangster. Parker might be outnumbered, but he’s deadly. If you haven’t read Slayground or the rest of Donald E. Westlake’s “Richard Stark” novels, you’re in for a treat.
Edward Schuyler, a 62-year-old science teacher and bird-watcher, finds himself a widower after his beloved wife, Bee, dies of pancreatic cancer. Edward’s adult step-children decide to “help” him by putting an ad in the New York Review of Books. The 42 responses to the ad for “Science Guy” jump-start Edward’s social life. Hilma Wolitzer captures the spectrum of experiences Edward encounters when he goes “dating after death.” Some of the dates are funny, some sad, some bizarre. I was faked me out twice in reading Hilma Wolitzer’s comedy of manners. If you’re looking for savvy story about love and sex, An Available Man will delight you. GRADE: B+
War Horse has morphed from a Young Adult novel to a stage play to a Steven Spielberg film nominated for an Oscar for Best Movie. War Horse starts with a young colt bought by a drunken farmer. The farmer’s son, Albert, falls in love with the colt and takes care of it until the farmer sells the horse to the British Calvary when World War I begins. The horse’s experience in battle is grim. Much of the book made it into the play and much of it made it into the movie. But some details were left out and I enjoyed reading the original source material. GRADE: B+
Bill Crider advised me not to rush out and see Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. I think Bill mentioned something like “it’s good, but not great.” We finally got around to seeing this second Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. If you’ve seen the first of Downey’s Sherlock Holmes movies, you have seen the template for this second film: action, humor, fast-paced plotting. Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) remains Holmes’ arch rival. I enjoyed this film with its tangled plot and entertaining cast. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows isn’t Sherlock Holmes in the traditional sense, but it will serve until the Real Thing shows up. GRADE: B+
I know Cap’n Bob loathes Tom Cruise (AKA The Evil Dwarf), but I found a lot to enjoy in the latest (and best) of the Mission Impossible movies. A cunning terrorist has framed the Impossible Missions force with the bombing of the Kremlin. The U.S. Government has invoked the “Ghost Protocol” where they publicly disavow the MI while covertly encouraging them to find the terrorist before a political disaster occurs. There’s the usual eye-popping stunts and cool gadgetry. Cruise’s team of Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Simon Pegg balance off the screen time. If you’re looking for a stylish action-movie, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL will keep you on the edge of your seat. GRADE: A
