“Moneyball”
The film by director Bennett Miller follows the real-life efforts by Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) to compete in a major league baseball world where everything is driven by money. He uses computer data to find players that he can afford who can still generate the runs he needs to make it to the World Series.
Although Pitt turns in a solid performance, this movie deals so much with the ins and outs of professional baseball, it gets too complicated for its own good. How much you like this movie will depend on how much you love baseball statistics.
Grade: B-
“Answer This!”
Christopher Gorham plays Paul Tarson, a perpetual college student/teaching assistant who rebels against his father’s influence to become a member of a bar trivia team. Tarson’s being forced to follow a career path he doesn’t want and that affects his professional and personal lives.
Director Christopher Farah properly mixes the emotional drama with the fun of the meaningless competition. The film has a message but never gets too preachy.
Grade: B-
Also new
“Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season”: Complicated and damaged characters presented against a masterfully detailed background of a volatile time in American history.
“Hawaii Five-O: The 12th and Final Season”: The casebook is finally closed for the detective series set in Hawaii.
“King Arthur and Medieval Britain”: Contains five History Channel specials that look at the adventures of King Arthur.
“What’s Your Number?”: A woman (Anna Faris) reflects upon her old romances and flings, wondering whether one of the men might have been her true love.
“Penguins of Madagascar: Operation Blowhole”: Neil Patrick Harris provides the voice of Dr. Blowhole.
Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.)
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