Filmjitsu!

A number of movies have been released lately that have caught my eye. I seem destined to spend large sums of cash at theaters this Fall and I hope to find much enjoyment in doing so. Last weekend I set out to see the first of these movies, Moneyball . Could Bennett Miller deliver a great film from a story about baseball and math? The answer here was a resounding yes.

Now admittedly I am a bit biased here. First, I’m a big sports fan and while football is my first love I do have a strong affinity for the game of baseball. Remembering the magical season the A’s had at the time this story takes place I have an appreciation for the historical significance of this story. Second, I’m a major geek. I love analytics, numbers and discerning patterns. I believe that with enough data you could predict any future event with a great level of accuracy. So I was already a Sabremetrics convert. All that aside however, I’m a movie fan. And while a documentary on Sabremetrics would be of interest to me, I was going in to see the story of Billy Beane brought to life. And that is the challenge of Moneyball. How do you tell the story of that team and the significance of what they did, giving the details their fair treatment without getting lost in them.

I think where Moneyball hits is with the performances. Director Bennett Miller assembled some obvious home run hitters with Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman but it is the Moneyball-esque way he surrounded them with two very unlikely casting decisions with Jonah Hill as Peter Brand and Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteburg that really blew me away. Here are two guys known for their outlandish comedy cast in a dramatic piece, asked to play serious roles but allowed to inject some subtle humor along the way. I found performances pleasantly surprising and the comedy to be very well timed and used to perfect effect.

The other great performance was turned in by a a relative unknown in Kerris Dorsey. As Casey Beane, Billy’s daughter, I found she brought a great humanizing quality to the Billy character and her chemistry with Brad Pitt lent a realness to their relationship.

All in all I think this was a well put together film. The writing was superb, the actors all brought the words to life on the screen and Director Bennett Miller was able to wrap it all together with great pacing, solid camera work and a well thought out score. Moneyball is definitely the best film I’ve seen in the theater in a while and I encourage everyone, baseball fan or not, to check this one out. I defy you to not get pulled into this world, rooting for these characters, leaving the film uplifted.

John

Filmjitsu Rating:

Special Feature – An Ode to Zombies and Mohawks (An Interview with Brian Peck)

In this special episode of Filmjitsu John sits down with actor, writer, director, producer and all-around fantastic guy Brian Peck. Recognizable as Scuz, the punk with a mohawk in The Return of the Living Dead , Brian has worked on a multitude of projects in nearly every possible role as a filmmaker. He was kind enough to spend an evening chatting with John about his experiences to be shared with you all. We can’t thank him enough and hope you really enjoy the interview.

Be sure to check out some of Brian’s work as it is pretty fantastic stuff:

• The Willies
• Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy
• Forever Strong
• Bitch Slap
• The Last American Virgin
• Queerantine!

Episode 18 – Jumanji

In light of this past Sunday being Father’s Day Mike and John send a giant shout out to fathers everywhere with Mike’s review of the Robin Williams’ CG fest Jumanji . They then tackle Bottom 5 Parental Decisions, offer up some staff picks and play Matinee Deathmatch. Mike tackled Jumanji “method film going” style at the plant which is featured in the film. Check out images of this trip in the Production Stills section. As always there are more goodies in the Bonus Features section.

The guys are bringing the awesome this week as they introduce a new segment that you will love and launch the official Filmjitsu store called The Concession Stand for all your SWAG needs.

This episode is dedicated to Artie and J.L. two totally rad Dads.