Coach Roscoe Bryant was inspired to start the Royals baseball team in his adopted town of Oakland when a young man died in his arms. Conceived as a way to help at-risk youth discover their own potential, Coach Roscoe has also made it a way for these kids to also discover a world, and a… Read More »
CHICKEN LITTLE
CHICKEN LITTLE begins with a narrator struggling to come up with a way to get things started. This, we are told, is not your usual sort of animated kid’s film, and so none of the usual openings, say leafing through a storybook, will do. And the wonderful part of that is that it doesn’t begin… Read More »
CHICKEN LITTLE — DVD
The treat of having CHICKEN LITTLE on DVD is that it can be on call anytime the need arises for an egg-centric story featuring such endlessly fascinating characters as Fish Out of Water. It manages to be whimsical and sweet without sacrificing wit, not to mention a few on-target swipes at over-budgeted films that are… Read More »
MONEYBALL
The starring role in MONEYBALL is not a showy one. Rather it requires of the actor playing it to posses a consummate skill in inhabiting a character rather than merely playing one. Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A’s must be all things to all people, low-key and cool as he is glad-handing… Read More »
Marin, Cheech — THE PERFECT GAME
Cheech Marin’s turn as a priest in THE PERFECT GAME may be counter-intuitive, but this icon of the counter-culture plays it absolutely straight as the strong but unassuming heart and soul of 1957 Monterrey, Mexico. He was equally unassuming when we spoke on April 1, 2010, though the topics included his own memories of the… Read More »
Jonah Hill Plays MONEYBALL
Jonah Hill started his film career in comedies such as SUPERBAD and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, but his roots are in writing, and his goal is to be a serious actor. When I spoke to him on September 16, 2011, the conversation moved from MONEYBALL, and the journey his character, Peter Brand, makes during the course… Read More »
Mike Wranovics is UP FOR GRABS
There are two stories involved in Mike Wranovics smart and wry debut film, UP FOR GRABS. The first is, of course, the one involving the battle royale over Barry Bonds’ 73rd home run ball, claimed by two people who were nothing if not tenacious in their willingness to hang on to that piece of sports… Read More »