Beane counter

After a long drought (for me) of going to the theater, I finally made it there for a cool deal being offered by Regal Cinemas - a 2 for 1 double feature of Moneyball and The Ides of March (review forthcoming). Both films were ones I was highly anticipating, but for various reasons had not yet seen.

We'll begin with the baseball drama, Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt as Oakland A's GM, Billy Beane. The film focuses on the 2002 baseball season where Beane attempted to put a winning team on the field despite having one of the lowest payroll's in the league and losing star players left and right to teams (like the Yankees) who could afford to pay these players higher salaries. Beane devises a new way of scouting talent after meeting Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill), a young, Ivy league grad, who was working with the Cleveland Indians organization; A fact I did not know. (Once again, the Indians find a way of giving up talent both on the field and in the front office).

Together, Beane and Brand begin to adopt the philosophy of Bill James, a statistician who had developed a formula to evaluate players' worth from a different way. One of the biggest factors that they focus on in the film is a player's on base percentage. In general, you'll score more runs if your team consists of a lot of players who find a way of getting on base (whether by a hit or walk). While this discussion and usage of statistics to create a winning team could have been dense and dull, it's not. Director Bennett Miller, along with Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and Steve Zallian, who co-wrote the film do an excellent job of getting the Moneyball philosophy across in a simple manner that could be understood by everyone. Personally, being a guy who likes statistics, I actually wish they would have discussed the number crunching even more, but I'm perfectly fine with the way its depicted.

The film's best scenes come from the intereactions between Beane and those who disagree with this new approach. Most of the A's scouts are incedulous towards his way of thinking since it spit in the face of the way they had evaluated talent. This method made them virtually obsolete. Also against Beane's philosophy is A's manager, Art Howe. He's played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in a terrific performance. While not the most postive portrayal, Hoffman does a nice job of coming off as grizzled and bitter. The scenes he has with Beane are engaging and really help in making you root for Beane.

While it takes some time, Beane's system begins to work much to the surprise of everyone else. One of the best things about this movie is the usage of actual media coverage throughout the season. We hear comments from sportscasters, radio hosts, and fans analyzing both the team's early struggles and their improvement as the season progressed. You really get a sense of how little everyone knows about sports when you're not actually inside the organization. It's catharic to listen to so-called analysts be completely off base when it comes to identifying why a team succeeds or fails.

Watching the film, you learn how Beane's desire to have this philosophy work is so personal. Through flashbacks the film shows how Beane himself was supposed to be a 'can't-miss' prospect who never panned out in the big leagues. You see how he's driven to prove the flaw in scouts' analysis and wants to avoid making personal connections with talent because of the possible pain it can bring. If the film has a weakness, and its minor one, it's that the film has a few too many introspection shots involving Pitt staring off in the distance contemplating. I get what they were going for, but I also feel its a bit overdone.

Overall, this is one of the best baseball movies out there and it hardly features any game play. At its core, its an underdog story that anyone can get behind. If you know anything about baseball and the recent history of Oakland, you'll also know that while Beane's story has not personally had the perfect ending, the imprint his Moneyball approach has had on the game is evident throughout the league. Like last year's The Social Network, I love the theme of individuals thinking outside the box and watching the rest of the world struggle to comprehend the ramifications of such an idea. Like a good utility player, Moneyball is versatile in providing something entertaining for a variety of audiences. Its ability to do so makes this film a home run. Grade: A

Fall Movie Preview (September)

As the temperature begins to cool off and everyone heads back to school, movie fans turn their attention to the most 'prestige' films that will be coming out in the next few months. I was having difficulty ranking the ones I'm looking forward to, so instead, I'm just going to focus on the most interesting films coming out month by month.

A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY (September 2)
Plot: Jason Sudeikis is Eric, a thirtysomething party animal famous among his close circle of friends for his lavish summer theme parties at his father's swanky Hamptons pad. But when members of the crew start settling down, and Eric's dad announces plans to sell the beach house, Eric decides it's time for one last bash to go out with a proverbial bang--a good old-fashioned orgy. The only obstacles to overcome are actually convincing each of his reluctant friends to join in on the bacchanal, and an inconveniently blossoming romance with the real estate agent threatening to sell the house out from under him before the main event can even take place.

Quick thoughts I'm sure there's a lot of you who may need a break from the R-rated comedy after having a glut of them this summer, but if you've got room for one more, then this seems like it might be right up your alley. Based on the trailer I posted last week, there seems to be enough solid laughs to make this worth a look. Plus, Jason Sudekis has been solid in his other films this year and this time it appears he's surrounding himself with a solid cast of other funny people. While the subject matter may seem a bit taboo, I'd like to think this will focus more on the comedy than the tawdry.


CONTAGION (September 9th)
Plot: "Contagion" follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.

Quick Thoughts: The idea of a non-terrorist virus spreading throughout the globe may be a little too real for people to enjoy this thriller. However, it's hard to ignore this impressive cast of actors coupled with an excellent director. I'd have to be sick in order to miss this one.


MONEYBALL (September 23)
Plot: Based on a true story, "Moneyball" is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games.

Quick Thoughts: With the Cleveland Indians imploding, it appears this is the only fall baseball I have to look forward to. While I still don't understand it completely, the system that Billy Beane created to scout players is pretty impressive and I'm anxious to see how they depict it on the big screen.


50/50 (September 30)
Plot: The dram'edy is a funny, touching, and original story of friendship, love, and survival, in no particular order. Joseph Gordon-Levitt toplines opposite Seth Rogen as the twenty-something who's been diagnosed with cancer and decides to use humor in helping fight against the disease.

Quick thoughts: While the title refers to the chances the title character has of surviving his cancer, it's also the odds I'll give this film of being really good. On one hand, you have Seth Rogen who has turned from hilarious to grating in most of his recent films. But then you have Joseph Gordon Levitt, who's really starting to come into his own as an actor. Making light of cancer is a difficult task, but the previews I've seen thus far make me think this has a chance of doing it right.


DREAM HOUSE (September 30)
Plot: Some say that all houses have memories. For one man, his home is the place he would kill to forget. Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts star in "Dream House," a suspense thriller about a family that unknowingly moves into a home where several grisly murders were committed...only to find themselves the killer's next target.

Quick thoughts: The plot seems familiar and the first trailer for the film seems to give away the big twist, which would be major marks against seeing this. Yet, I can't shake the feeling that this still might be good, especially if you're looking for a few good scares. The director recently came out to say that the twist revealed in the trailer is not the final twist, so here's hoping this still has a chance to surprise us all.

OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST:
- Apollo 18 (September 2)
- Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star (September 9)