Moneyball

The other night my friend and I rented "Moneyball", starring Brad Pitt.  I had somehow missed it when it came out in the fall, but it had gotten a lot of terrific press, and a ton of Oscar nominations.  I'm also a huge baseball fan, so I was really looking forward to it.  And it did not disappoint.  Pitt plays Billy Bean, former pro ballplayer, and now General Manager of the Oakland A's baseball team.  His team has just lost the pennant, and also lost their three best players.  As a small market team, he knows they can't compete with increasing salaries, so he searches for a unique solution. He finds it in the form of Jonah Hill, who plays Assistant GM Peter Brant. He and Hill become convinced that the only way to win is to go after players who are off the radar, but have an uncanny ability to get on base.  Thus begins the ups and downs of their season, as they try to prove their new concept.

Now the above description may sound a bit dull, but I beg to differ.  It's a totally terrific movie, and definitely worth a viewing.  Pitt and Hill are both fantastic, and it also has an outstanding screenplay from Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin.  And if that doesn't grab you, then I have two words: Brad Pitt.  A buffed out Brad Pitt no less. Worth the price of admission alone.

Classic Rom-Com

Last night TCM played a classic romantic comedy from 1949 starring Cary Grant.  Since this was one I'd never seen before, it caught my attention. I mean, who doesn't love Cary Grant?  Admittedly, the title of this one was intriguing to say the least, which double caught my attention.  Now at first blush, it's going to sound like a weird one, but here goes.  The romantic comedy in question was none other than "I Was a Male War Bride".  See? The title just kind of grabs you (or not).  But it ended up being HILARIOUS and totally adorable.  Seems that Grant and Ann Sheridan are battling army officers, he a French Army captain, and she a U.S. WAC Lieutenant.  They can't stand each other, but get sent on a special mission together. Hilarity ensues, and as these things tend to go, they fall in love and decide to get married.  Challenges arise when he tries to emigrate to the U.S. as the spouse of an American army officer, and more hilarity ensues. 

I have to say, I thought this picture was awesome! It's what all romantic comedies should be, and so seldom are these days.  Cary Grant is charming and fabulous as always, and displays his great gift for physical comedy.  Ann Sheridan is a perfect comic foil for him (wish she'd made more comedies).  I literally laughed out loud, which is saying something.  I highly recommend it.

The Sherman Brothers

Here's a shout out for Robert B. Sherman, who passed away today.  You may be wondering who that is, but any true fan of classic Disney films and songs would know right away that Mr. Sherman was one half of the extremely prolific song-writing duo, the Sherman Brothers.  Along with his brother Richard M. Sherman, he was responsible for all the great Disney classics, and many more.  From "Mary Poppins", to "The Jungle Book", to "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", to the "Winnie the Pooh" movies, it's hard to name a Disney movie of the 60's and 70's that they didn't write the music for.  And not just the movies - if you've ever ridden Disneyland's "Small World" ride, you've heard his music too.

After Walt Disney's passing, the Sherman Brothers left and began freelancing, and kept on cranking out the classics, including composing music for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", "The Slipper and the Rose" (my fave Cinderella adaptation) and "Charlotte's Web". 

The legacy of terrific Disney movie music begun by the Sherman Brothers continues today, with the likes of Allan Mencken and Randy Newman cranking out the latest generation of classic Disney hits.  So a big thank you to the Sherman Brothers!  And I think I'll "go fly a kite"!

Top 5 Movie Canines

One of the principal actors in "The Artist" has been getting a lot of press, so much that several commentators were shocked he didn't receive an Oscar nomination.  Alas, they don't have one for his category.  If this sounds a little cryptic, I'll just have to come right and say that that cast member in question happens to be Uggie the dog.  So since Uggie has been getting so much attention, this got me to thinking about other super-star Dogs from movie history, so this addition of Top 5 is devoted to my favorite canine movie contributors.

1. Lassie - who can resist the big collie with the flowing mane?  She's loyal, and she knows where to go for help every time Timmie falls in the well.  And she always comes home.  (And yes, "she" is played by a boy pooch.)

2. Asta - This pooch was a huge star in the 30's and 40's, in the popular "Thin Man" series.  Not only did he get to hang out with William Powell and Myrna Loy, but he was often smarter, and more sober than his owner.

3. Toto - Admittedly, I'm not a fan of "The Wizard of Oz".  But not only does this classic pooch have to follow the yellow brick road with a bunch of weirdly dressed folks, he has to do it while stuffed in a basket. And he has to take on flying monkeys.  Poor thing deserves a nod just for not having to go into therapy afterwards.

4. Hachi - This dog takes the award for loyalty, and does it in both Japanese and English. No matter which version of the movie you're watching, who doesn't dissolve into tears every time they see Hachi the Akita waiting every day at the train station for his deceased owner.  I hope someone or some pooch remembers me like that after I'm gone.

5. Skip - This little guy gets additional votes just for being in Mississippi.  He and Frankie Muniz grow up together in the small-town South, and Skip can now be used as a link in "Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon". Priceless.

Honorable Mention: Hooch, from "Turner and Hooch".  Best use of canine saliva in a motion picture.

The Artist

I've talked here before about how fun it can be to see a silent movie.  But normally a silent film is something that's released prior to the invention of talkies. However, this year is the year where it seems everything old is new again, as there's a new silent movie out, called "The Artist".  It's also shot in black and white, and in the pre-1950's square screen ratio format.  

The girls and I went to see this the other night, and I just have to say, what a treat.  The movie takes place in Hollywood, around the time of the transition from Silents to Talkies. I stars French Actor Jean duJardin as a big-time silent movie star who pridefully refuses to make the transition, and then has to live with the consequences of that decision.  And Berenice Bejo is the former protege who makes the transition and ends up becoming a huge star.  It also has a host of well-known character actors in supporting roles.  Part "Singin in the Rain", and part "A Star is Born", it's clever, it's funny, it's sweet - it's everything a movie-going experience should be.  I highly recommend it.

(Something else I noticed while I was sitting there - with no dialog, and limited music, I could actually hear the sound of the film rolling upstairs in the booth. I honestly can't remember the last time I heard that sound at a movie, but it was so refreshing - movie's today are so stinking loud.)

Westward the Women

Denise Darcel died today.  She was a popular French actress from the early 50's. She appeared mostly in B pictures, but there were a few gems among them - for example "Battleground", "Veracruz", and one of my all-time favorites, "Westward the Women".  Starring Robert Taylor and John McEntire, "Westward the Women" is a terrific picture about a wagon train of women, headed for California to become brides.  

Taylor and McEntire are the men guiding them in their journey, and both of them, particularly Taylor, were big stars at the time.  But the real stars of the movie are the women themselves, Denise Darcel among them.  Along the way they learn to shoot, handle mule teams, and face different hardships, such as untimely death, assaults from bad men and unfriendly Indians, and even childbirth.  It also shows how physically demanding such a journey would have been (and let's just say, that after my first viewing, I was mighty glad I was never a pioneer).  Just when you think they're never going to make it, the train pulls through, and everyone lives happily ever after.  The movie's tagline says it all - "Never underestimate the will of a woman when there's a wedding ring in sight!"

Top 5: Oh Captain, my Captain

Today is the birthday of my all-time favorite Canadian - Captain Von Trapp himself, Christopher Plummer.  Amazing as it is, he is 82 today, and still as dashing as ever.  So, in celebration of the big occasion, today's edition of Top 5 is dedicated to Christopher Plummer movies.  Admittedly this is a difficult task, as he's been in just about everything.  But here goes...

1. The Sound of Music - I'm sure he probably hates it, but how could this not be number one on my list?  It's the movie that got me in to movies to begin with, and I've been looking for a handsome, charismatic widower ever since.

2. Sta Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - As General Chang, not only is he a terrific movie villain, but he gets to speak Klingon (which is becoming a lost art), and spout Shakespeare at the same time.

3. The Insider - As Mike Wallace, he uses Whistle-blower Russell Crowe to break the story of what Big Tobacco really knew. And he ends up being a better Wallace than the actual man himself.

4. Somewhere in Time - How can you not loathe him as the interfering Manager who's constantly trying to keep Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve apart?

5. Up - Here he's the voice of the famous Adventurer Charles Muntz, who allows his obsessive ways to eventually turn him into the ultimate bad guy.  He not only goes after kids and senior citizens, but dogs and birds, too.  One of Disney's classic villains.

Honorable Mention: The Lake House - He's this generation's Frank Lloyd Wright, a man who can design a building, but not talk to his grown children. Heartbreaking.