Movie Review -Money Ball

This is a very good baseball movie in a long line of baseball movies. Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane a real life general manager of the Oakland Athletics in 2002; a team that had no money to keep "good" players who were taken away for high salaries by New York and Boston. He meets a young non-athlete economics Yale graduate who convinces him that the team needs players that statistically show that they can get on first base more often than the big names. Further more the team can win games with less pricey players. Jonah Hill does a great job as the stoic but certain statistician assistant. Philip Seymour Hoffman has a meaty role as the team manager Art Howe, who does not agree with this new Sabermetrics approach to winning.

Brad Pitt is now 47 years old. I first noticed him as the stud in Thelma and Louise. I have always like him and in this movie he has proven himself a deserving actor.

3***1/2

Buddy's Health care report

Buddy says "I know where I am and I want out"

He has been here too many times recently.

SO he has an EKG and a Blood Pressure check

a complete physical exam and a Rabies shot.

He continues to lose weight. I should be so lucky.

He started at 39#'s and the vet wanted him to lose a couple of pounds before his knee surgery.

BUT he has continued to lose weight and has lost a # in the last month. Now he weighs

32#s, losing almost 1/5 of his body weight since June.

But he is frisky and apparently well so we will see. For now we are discontinuing his Valley Fever medicine thinking that may be interfering with his appetite.

Dolphin Tale - Movie Review

The Dolphin Tale, in contrast to many of Az Buddy's reviews, is a sweet, lovely family movie.

Based on a true story, Winter was found by a lonely young boy, Sawyer, washed up on shore after being caught in a crab pot. He follows her to the marine rescue hospital in Clear Water, Florida.

Assigned to summer school because of bad grades, he skips school to be at Winter's side.

Dolphin and boy bond and throughout the movie help each other heal.

Seasoned actors Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson join musician and more recent actor Harry Connick Jr.. The freckled

kids played by Nathan Gamble (Sawyer)

and Cozi Zuehlsdorff (Hazel) steal the show.

Of course the main star is Winter who plays

herself whose life is saved by a prosthetic

tail made by an engineer that designs prosthetics for

soldiers having lost limbs in war. No special effects

are used.

Check out www.seewinter.com

Definitely a "go too" movie

In a Better World - Movie review

In a Better World is a Danish film that received the Academy Award in 2011 for "Best Foreign Language Film". This is the story of two families undergoing challenges that are brought together by their two 10 year old sons. The young boys meet at school when Christian comes to the defense of Elias who is being bullied by classmates. Together they counteract the bullying not by brute strength but by brutal use of Christian's guile. Both have a missing parent. Elias' father, Anton spends much of this time as a surgeon in a refugee camp in an African Country I interpret to be Somalia or Sudan. He does come home when the boys engage in dangerous revenge. Christian's mother has died of cancer leaving him feeling abandoned at not in touch with his father who is present.

This movie begs to be discussed, beginning with the title. There are two worlds in the film.

The boys' world in Denmark and the cruel world in the refugee camp with the presence of fierce guerillas. I don't completely understand the use of the title unless it is to make us think about which is the better world.

In Danish, Swedish, Arab and English. Subtitled. Available on netfix.

4****

Drive - The Movie

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Suspense and action. The uneven pacing from very still and quiet to frenzied action was unique. To support the changes of mood was a great selection of music. Some soundtracks distract. This one remarkably enhanced mood. Drive is about a young man, Ryan Gosling, who drives as a stuntman in the day and getaway cars at night. He meets and falls in love with Irene, Carey Mulligan. He loves but never beds her. Yet he is willing to do anything for her. Complications begin when her husband returns home from prison. The driver never has a name but is referred to as the "kid". Not a technique new to screen writers. The car he drives is a Chevy Impala. Having cars as signature props is also not new to films. Danish Director Nicolas Winding Refn makes his American debut by filming in Los Angeles. He couldn't have chosen a better setting. The night scenes, many from above are awesome.

Acting by both Gosling and Mulligan is understated and excellent.

4**** Excellent. Not for everyone. Very Violent. Although fast cars, handsome young actors and blatant violence are not new to movies, IMO this movie does it well. Adapted from a novel.

Look for Russ Tamblyn - A Jett from Westside Story. Didn't know he was still acting. Would make a good trivia question.

Undocumented immigrants

Living on the border, we tend to focus on the undocumented immigrants from Mexico and

South America. Undocumented immigration is a problem throughout the world.

People of all ethnic groups living without jobs and in poverty are migrating to American and European countries as well as to the Middle East wealthy countries that need workers.

Ollli's fall film festival focuses on eight feature films that tell the story of these immigrants.

They are:

Frozen River

Sugar

Maria Full of Grace

Dirty Pretty Things

In America

Biutiful

The Visitor

Crossing Over

All these films are available

for rent and I recommend them.

"The Guard" - movie review

Every once in a while I see a movie that I just love but can't recommend to everyone. OK probably more often than that. I have a friend that will always go with me to these little indie treasures. "The Guard" is a confrontational Irish film staring Irish actor Brendan Gleeson and American Don Cheadel. Gleeson stars as a Sargent in the "Guard" or the local police in a small town in Northern Ireland. Cheadel is an uptight FBI man sent to help solve a major drug smuggling gang coming in by sea. It is billed as a comedy but has a lot of drama as these two very different law men work together. Is Gleeson really racist or just naive in his first encounter with a black man? There are no less that 4 subplots, all fully developed. Gleeson is great and Cheadel does an excellent job as his straight man.

Why is this film hard to recommend to everyone, which is my 5*****. If the f--- word freaks you out as does violence, this movie is not for you. However if you love the Irish personality and humor you will love this movie.

4****

Another point is that if one is hearing impaired it is best to wait for the video and watch it with subtitles. One can miss some of the rich Irish accent.