Moneyball @ The Grove: Pacific Theatres
The Movie 5 of 5 Kernels: A moving and effective piece of
film making that makes high dramas out of the statistics surrounding baseball.
The Pop: 5 of 5 Kernels
The Farm’s Comfort Fare Prix Fix dinner
The Film
Rare,
that’s a perfect word for a film like Moneyball.
It’s rare to see a film get stopped and abandoned by its orignal director then brought back to life
so well. It’s rare for a film about baseball to feature so little actual
baseball. It’s rare to enjoy a film so much that centers on numbers and
statistics. It’s rare to see a sports film where winning and losing aren’t as
crucial as how you play the game. Moneyball
is a rare film, an actor who is always interested in crafting something fresh
versus collecting a paycheck and a director who loves examining the man behind
the scenes and their inspirations.
Moneyball centers on Billy Beane, the stubborn General Manager of the
underfunded Oakland A’s. His team has just barely missed its chance to go to
the world series, and the players he found and fostered have been picked up by
the teams with big salaries. Billy Beane is determined to win, and he knows if
he can’t get more money, to buy more talent, then he’s gonna have to be
creative to do it. Enter Peter Brandt a plucky economics major with a simple
idea, that baseball thinks is crazy, about what it takes for a team to win, the
players have to get on base. The two of them quickly turn the game and world of
baseball on its ear, by ignoring their detractors and adhering to the cold
logic of numbers while opening their own hearts and minds to their team mates.
This
film is based on the book by of the same name by Michael Lewis, and was quickly
optioned to be a movie. Soon Steven Soderbergh was on the cusp of making the
film when Sony got cold feet about Soderbergh’s radical take on the film and
pulled the plug. Now I definitely lament not getting the chance to see what
Soderbergh would’ve done with the material, but considering the fact that the
top notch Contagion just came out and
this film was so good, it looks like the real winner here are the audiences.
Bennet
Miller is in many ways the exact opposite kind of director from Soderbergh.
He’s only made two previous films, one of them a documentary about a tour bus
driver, The Cruise, gave us insight
into a wonderfully twisted mind and Capote,
lifted the veil on the character’s behind one of the best books ever written. Now
with Moneyball he and Aaron Sorkin
take us behind the scenes of baseball. A past time which can often be slow and
boring but which comes to life in their hands.
Sorkin
(and Zaillian)’s script is whip smart, and clever. Brad Pitt is great as Billy
Beane, and the supporting cast of Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt and a cast of great
character actors revel in the chance to make these real people come to life.
There are no perfect heroes here, there are few rousing speeches testifying to
the glory of the game and the men playing it. Instead the film is a slow burn
as the cold hard numbers open Billy Beane up to a world of possibilities. He’s
out on a limb and he learns to connect with his team as he risks it all. The
characters are so well drawn and the drama of their victories and failures are
clear, you always rooting for them to succeed and heartbroken at their
failures.
The team and the numbers and the game are all secondary
though to Pitt’s sterling kinetic performance. Sometimes only his eyes are
alive, but they fill the screen and draw you in. Pitt is a classic movie star
and this film proves that he’s still got tons of game. The performance reminds
you of the sheer power of star wattage and makes it impossible not to root for
this film.
The Corn
Still eating less of my beloved pop-corn, but this time I
was lucky enough to treat myself (and my special lady friend) to the Groupon
Prix Fix meal at The Farm.
First of all: I love me some Groupon, especially when its
for a place I already know is good like the farm.
The Farm has delicious food that’s pricey but worth it, we
started with the Buratta, which came with thick delicious tomatoes to spread
the savory cheese over and a light balsamic dripping.
Then we had the Farm Steak and Chicken Pot Pie. The Steak
came with a blue cheese crust and was delicious, the Pot Pie was pure comfort
food bliss, it was huge and its crust was flaky and delicious the whole thing
melted in our mouths.
We finished with a fudge brownie with ice-cream which was
rich and delicious and definitely not store bought.
I’d highly recommend the farm for a date you want to impress
or for people from out of town, you can show them the Grove which is neat if it
weren’t for all the people.
0 comments:
Post a Comment