Wednesday, Feb. 01, 2012

Recliner Reviews for February 2, 2012

“Moneyball”

Out of the dozens of sports movies nominated for Oscars, there have only been six baseball movies nominated. Out of those nominations, there’s only been one win. And that win was back in 1942, with “The Pride of the Yankees.” So, the Oscars love baseball…they just don’t really LOVE baseball. Based of the nonfiction book, “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” describing how the Oakland A’s started using spreadsheets and stat matching instead of trying to match superstar athletes with superstar contracts in a market where teams have smaller budgets. This may be Brad Pitt’s most nuanced performance to date – he’s nominated. Jonah Hill shows he can really act – also nominated. The screenplay was written by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian – Zaillian won an Oscar for penning “Schindler’s List” and Sorkin won last year for “The Social Network” – this screenplay is also nominated. Director Bennett Miller, who directed the heavily Oscar nominated, “Capote” – he’s not nominated. But the film is, for Best Picture. And the film deserves the accolades – definitely worth a rent.

“Attack the Block”

From the preview, you’d think this movie is an alien invasion version of “Shaun of the Dead.” It’s not. It takes itself more seriously than that. There are some tongue-in-cheek scenes but there is also some social commentary. The idea of this British movie was created after the director was mugged by a group of kids. The film was made for a little more than ten grand and has earned more than a million. A big film overseas but it’s made an indie splash in the States. It’s a nice infusion of colorful characters and a good slant on the alien angle. No, it’s not a cheeky clone of “Shaun of the Dead” with space invaders – it’s a smart action film with comedy and gritty realism…I know, realism in an alien movie, sounds strange but it works. If you can deal with thick southern London accents, it’s worth a watch.

“Fork Over Knives”

You hear it everyday, it’s surrounding you, doctors and personal trainers and housewives watching too much Dr. Oz – all of them screaming, go vegan! Go vegetarian! Meat is evil! Sometimes you just want to yell with a mouth full of t-bone, “Shut up, you grass-eating bastards!” This is at least the twentieth documentary made about eating healthy. But this one is different – it doesn’t try to gross you out by showing PETA stock footage of slaughter houses and chicken farms. It lays out the history of nutritional programs in America and the rise of disease, notably cancer. And the data speaks for itself. Even when you research it yourself, it adds up to the more meat you eat…the sicker you get. I’m not screaming, Vegan Power! Hell, I’m still digesting my fried chicken dinner. I’m just saying, it’s worth a watch.