New this Week: 'Killer Elite,' 'Moneyball' and 'The Others (BD)'
Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
Abduction - Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina Dolphin Tale 3D - Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr. Killer Elite - Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro Moneyball - Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill
Movie of the Week
Moneyball
The Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill The Plot: The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players. The Buzz: Correct me if I'm wrong, but has there ever been a really great baseball movie? Yes, there have been a few, like Major League, Bull Durham, and A League of Their Own. Those are comedies though, so let me rephrase the question: has there ever been a really great baseball drama? Hmm, The Natural was decent, albeit dated and a consequently a bit cheesy. For Love of the Game was alright, as Sam Raimi winded down his pre-Spidey career. Eight Men Out and Field of Dreams also come to mind, but are they really about baseball or do they just happen to have baseball as set dressing? I feel the latter is the case for these two films. So my question still stands, has there ever been a really fantastic dramatic film centered directly on the great sport of baseball? I don't think there has. I'm hoping that Moneyball is it.
Every Friday we'll have new reviews of the latest films. TSR's complete Film Review Database
New Blu-ray and DVDs released this week:
Breakfast at Tiffany's (BD) - Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal Bridesmaids (BD/DVD) - Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne Dumbo (BD/DVD) - Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, James Baskett The River Murders (DVD) - Ray Liotta, Christian Slater, Ving Rhames Setup (BD/DVD) - Bruce Willis, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Ryan Phillippe The Others (BD) - Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan
Blu-ray/DVD of the Week
The Others
The Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan The Plot: A woman (Kidman) who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted. The Buzz: It's hard to believe this film is ten years old. Time Flies. I caught this one on DVD, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The general aura and mise en scene are expertly crafted here -- there's a really fun PG-13 spookiness about The Others. If you're the kind of person who loves haunted house stories, but doesn't really enjoy ultra-horrific scariness, this film would be right up your alley. Nicole Kidman is awesome here, and the supporting cast does well too. All things considered, this is a really well done ghost story.