With it being October, our site will be featuring lots of great writing on the Horror genre. This month doesn’t just bring the scares for me though, it also brings the postseason playoffs for my favorite sport: Baseball. While I won’t have as much on the line this year as my Braves played a sub-.500 season (still waiting on them to call me back and offer me the General Manager position), I still enjoy watching the other teams battle it out for the World Series. So in honor of all that, it seemed appopriate to take a look back at the 2011 film Moneyball, which followed Oakland Athletic’s General Manager Billy Beane and the way he and his front office embraced computer-generated analysis in 2002 to create a winning team out of a low budget and undervalued players.
One of the biggest achievements that will cement this film in...
One of the biggest achievements that will cement this film in...
- 10/7/2014
- by Dylan Griffin
- SoundOnSight
Guillaume Gallienne's "Me Myself and Mum" won the two top prizes at the 45th Directors' Fortnight, earning both the Art Cinema Award and the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers' Prize. Serge Bozon's comedy-thriller "Tip Top" also received a special mention by the Sacd jury. Prize for best European film in Directors' Fortnight went to "The Selfish Giant," the narrative debut of Clio Barnard ("The Arbor"). In "Me Myself and Mum," an adaptation of Gallienne's one-man show, is based on his own story of a childhood in which everyone -- including his mom -- assumes he's gay. Gallienne plays himself in addition to other roles; Diane Kruger co-stars. "Tip Top," an adaptation of Bill James' novel, stars Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain as detectives investigating the murder of an informant. "The Selfish Giant," a very loose adaptation of the Oscar Wilde fairy tale, was acquired after its...
- 5/24/2013
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Tip Top (Serge Bozon, France)
Quinzaine Des RÉALISATEURS
After a wait of 6 years, Serge Bozon has followed up his expansive and beautiful La France with a far more modestly scaled what's-it: Tip Top, a pseudo-detective film at once burlesque and jabbing, adapted from one of a series of novels by Welsh author Bill James. It overlaps not just genres (crime, comedy) but production "genres" or types; in the sense that a minimalist Rotterdam arthouse movie is a "festival film," Tip Top feels both a distinctly auteurist film from Bozon, and a strange lower-middle range product of Euro-financing (France, Luxembourg, Belgium) involving a certain specific combination of border-crossing actors, regional locations, and a deadpan, glammed up smalltown modesty. It makes for variegated film texture combining the poetic and the mundane, complicated considerably by an unabashedly ethno-political context.
The crime investigated by internal affairs detectives Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, that of...
Quinzaine Des RÉALISATEURS
After a wait of 6 years, Serge Bozon has followed up his expansive and beautiful La France with a far more modestly scaled what's-it: Tip Top, a pseudo-detective film at once burlesque and jabbing, adapted from one of a series of novels by Welsh author Bill James. It overlaps not just genres (crime, comedy) but production "genres" or types; in the sense that a minimalist Rotterdam arthouse movie is a "festival film," Tip Top feels both a distinctly auteurist film from Bozon, and a strange lower-middle range product of Euro-financing (France, Luxembourg, Belgium) involving a certain specific combination of border-crossing actors, regional locations, and a deadpan, glammed up smalltown modesty. It makes for variegated film texture combining the poetic and the mundane, complicated considerably by an unabashedly ethno-political context.
The crime investigated by internal affairs detectives Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, that of...
- 5/23/2013
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
Bill James's crime thriller is sexed-up and transplanted to France, with Isabelle Huppert in the lead. But the odd mix of bloody murder and comedy couplings means the movie belies its title
Tip Top – based on a crime thriller by British novelist Bill James – is a topsy-turvy sex comedy tarted up as cop drama. It's silly and wacky and rude and glib. A Punch and Judy show playing out on the set of Silent Witness.
Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain play Esther Lafarge and Sally Marinelli, two internal affairs investigators parachuted into the police department in Villeneuve, Lille to uncover the mole who caused the death of an Algerian informant. They're joined by the snitch's handler, Inspector Mendes (François Damiens) - who's keen to shift the focus of the investigation from his shady dealings with his new shill (Aymen Saïdi) towards his chances of hopping in the sack with one or both women.
Tip Top – based on a crime thriller by British novelist Bill James – is a topsy-turvy sex comedy tarted up as cop drama. It's silly and wacky and rude and glib. A Punch and Judy show playing out on the set of Silent Witness.
Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain play Esther Lafarge and Sally Marinelli, two internal affairs investigators parachuted into the police department in Villeneuve, Lille to uncover the mole who caused the death of an Algerian informant. They're joined by the snitch's handler, Inspector Mendes (François Damiens) - who's keen to shift the focus of the investigation from his shady dealings with his new shill (Aymen Saïdi) towards his chances of hopping in the sack with one or both women.
- 5/20/2013
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
#23. Serge Bozon’s Tip Top
Gist: Based on the novel by British author Bill James, Tip Top follows two female police inspectors from the police’s complaints and discipline branch as they investigate the death of an informant at a provincial police station. While they get along fine as partners, their private lives are very different. While man-hungry Sally (Sandrine Kiberlain) and the spousal abuser Esther (Isabelle Huppert) investigate, they are spied upon by reporting officer, Robert (Francois Damiens).
Prediction: Bozon’s followup to his well received 2007 debut, La France (which won the Prix Jean Vigo for Best French Film debut), will most likely end up in Un Certain Regard, and probably make this another multiple entry year for perennial legend Huppert.
prev next...
Gist: Based on the novel by British author Bill James, Tip Top follows two female police inspectors from the police’s complaints and discipline branch as they investigate the death of an informant at a provincial police station. While they get along fine as partners, their private lives are very different. While man-hungry Sally (Sandrine Kiberlain) and the spousal abuser Esther (Isabelle Huppert) investigate, they are spied upon by reporting officer, Robert (Francois Damiens).
Prediction: Bozon’s followup to his well received 2007 debut, La France (which won the Prix Jean Vigo for Best French Film debut), will most likely end up in Un Certain Regard, and probably make this another multiple entry year for perennial legend Huppert.
prev next...
- 4/13/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Think about how different it is to process a professional football game in frame-by-frame replay and razor, high-definitION clarity, with how we process a baseball game on the radio.
The advent of high-definitION TV has not only changed the way that we watch sports on television, it is in the midst of changing sports themselves, as our games retrofit themselves to fit the package by which we consume them.
With incredibly sharp pictures broadcast onto the incredibly large televisions, sports fans have never been closer to the games. The intimate access we now have as fans is leading us to demand more from the games arbitors and decision makers, and to change the way we value our sports.
Televisions began entering American homes in the 1940s and 50s. In 1972, sales of color TVs finally eclipsed black-and-white sets. But it was the 1980s that began bringing sports fans closer and closer to their games.
The advent of high-definitION TV has not only changed the way that we watch sports on television, it is in the midst of changing sports themselves, as our games retrofit themselves to fit the package by which we consume them.
With incredibly sharp pictures broadcast onto the incredibly large televisions, sports fans have never been closer to the games. The intimate access we now have as fans is leading us to demand more from the games arbitors and decision makers, and to change the way we value our sports.
Televisions began entering American homes in the 1940s and 50s. In 1972, sales of color TVs finally eclipsed black-and-white sets. But it was the 1980s that began bringing sports fans closer and closer to their games.
- 6/26/2012
- by Bison Messink
- TVology
Brad Pitt, who received a SAG Award nomination for Best Actor today, will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Acting at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. This is for his performance in "Moneyball" and "The Tree of Life."
Here's the complete press release from the Psiff:
Palm Springs, CA (December 14, 2011) . The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present two-time Academy Award® nominee Brad Pitt with the Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award for his lead role in Moneyball and his supporting role in The Tree of Life. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Hosted by Mary Hart, the Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius, Octavia Spencer and Michelle Williams.
.Brad Pitt consistently mesmerizes audiences with the depth and versatility of his performances. He has...
Here's the complete press release from the Psiff:
Palm Springs, CA (December 14, 2011) . The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present two-time Academy Award® nominee Brad Pitt with the Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award for his lead role in Moneyball and his supporting role in The Tree of Life. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Hosted by Mary Hart, the Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius, Octavia Spencer and Michelle Williams.
.Brad Pitt consistently mesmerizes audiences with the depth and versatility of his performances. He has...
- 12/14/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
At first glance, Moneyball will ignite interest among Brad Pitt fans. On second glance, it will turn some away because of its baseball subject matter. Sports films are an acquired taste and will never fully convert those who are not into the sport in question. Therefore, as one of the latter, Moneyball is a real eye opener, and not because it suddenly stirs a dormant interest in the sport, but because the baseball could be argued as being the parallel theme to the overriding one of the ‘little guy’ taking on and shaking up the system from within. In this sense, there is something to be gained from it.
It’s based on the true story of Billy Beane (Pitt), the once would-be baseball superstar who still hurts from his failure to live up to expectations on the field and turns to baseball management. It’s nearly the start of 2002 season,...
It’s based on the true story of Billy Beane (Pitt), the once would-be baseball superstar who still hurts from his failure to live up to expectations on the field and turns to baseball management. It’s nearly the start of 2002 season,...
- 11/24/2011
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A film about baseball and data analysis might not sound like cinema gold, but Moneyball is a drama well worth seeking out, Glen writes…
After performing reasonably well at the Us box office off the back of some positive reviews, Moneyball is set to arrive in UK cinemas on Friday. Its appeal in this part of the world will be less widespread than in America, but does it offer enough to capture the imagination of UK cinemagoers?
Having seen the film, I’d say it definitely does. I should state that I’m a fan of sports movies, and baseball is one sport that has produced some genuine classics over the years. Although I’m a fan of these types of films, I don’t actually know all that much about baseball – and the little I do know I’ve learned from sports movies.
This lack of knowledge doesn’t...
After performing reasonably well at the Us box office off the back of some positive reviews, Moneyball is set to arrive in UK cinemas on Friday. Its appeal in this part of the world will be less widespread than in America, but does it offer enough to capture the imagination of UK cinemagoers?
Having seen the film, I’d say it definitely does. I should state that I’m a fan of sports movies, and baseball is one sport that has produced some genuine classics over the years. Although I’m a fan of these types of films, I don’t actually know all that much about baseball – and the little I do know I’ve learned from sports movies.
This lack of knowledge doesn’t...
- 11/21/2011
- Den of Geek
How do you win a game when the rules are designed to make you lose?... Play a different game.
For sports neophytes unaware of the finer points on how major league sports design their business models, Major League Baseball (Mlb) runs its league according to the principles of social darwinism: every man/team for himself. Unlike the National Football League which operates as a legalized trust, sharing profits and coordinating with one another in order to make their overall product stronger, the Mlb's policy is that each team is its own wholly separate entity that must survive and suffice on its own merit and revenue.
The result is an income disparity among Mlb teams that make Marxists rabidly salivate. There are the rich teams, such as the juggernaut that is the New York Yankees, a team that can simply purchase any missing piece in their collection to almost guarantee a perennial playoff contender status,...
For sports neophytes unaware of the finer points on how major league sports design their business models, Major League Baseball (Mlb) runs its league according to the principles of social darwinism: every man/team for himself. Unlike the National Football League which operates as a legalized trust, sharing profits and coordinating with one another in order to make their overall product stronger, the Mlb's policy is that each team is its own wholly separate entity that must survive and suffice on its own merit and revenue.
The result is an income disparity among Mlb teams that make Marxists rabidly salivate. There are the rich teams, such as the juggernaut that is the New York Yankees, a team that can simply purchase any missing piece in their collection to almost guarantee a perennial playoff contender status,...
- 11/18/2011
- by Christopher Lominac
- AreYouScreening.com
Sports movies ought not to be talky. We could argue that Moneyball isn't really a sports movie -- it happens to take place in the world of sports, but its true focus is the growing battle between science and tradition. Even so, a movie with so much baseball in it ought to have a little more zip.
Fortunately, the talkiness is often snappy dialogue, well-written by Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian. The movie's dialogue seems to be written for a lighter-toned movie than the occasionally sluggish Moneyball, based on real-life people and events.
Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is the general manager of the Oakland A's, a major-league baseball team trying to compete successfully with teams that have far larger budgets. It's impossible for Beane to attract top-drawer players with third-tier salaries. He needs to find another way to improve his team, and believes he has the answer after meeting Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). Brand,...
Fortunately, the talkiness is often snappy dialogue, well-written by Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian. The movie's dialogue seems to be written for a lighter-toned movie than the occasionally sluggish Moneyball, based on real-life people and events.
Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is the general manager of the Oakland A's, a major-league baseball team trying to compete successfully with teams that have far larger budgets. It's impossible for Beane to attract top-drawer players with third-tier salaries. He needs to find another way to improve his team, and believes he has the answer after meeting Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). Brand,...
- 9/24/2011
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
The magic and majesty of baseball has enamored America for over 150 years. A staple of our culture, there isn't an American alive who hasn't tasted the sport at some time in their lives. So powerfully ingrained is the sport that when a film comes out with baseball as its focus, people are naturally drawn to it. And with Moneyball, the story of the birth of sabremetrics and the ultimate changing of the game, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill put it right in the sweet spot in this brilliantly entertaining and rousing film.
The Basics
Columbia Pictures' Moneyball is based on the true story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) – once a would-be baseball superstar who turned his fiercely competitive nature to management. Starting the 2002 season, Billy faces a dismal situation: his small-market Oakland A’s have lost their star players (again) to big market clubs (and their enormous salaries) and...
The Basics
Columbia Pictures' Moneyball is based on the true story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) – once a would-be baseball superstar who turned his fiercely competitive nature to management. Starting the 2002 season, Billy faces a dismal situation: his small-market Oakland A’s have lost their star players (again) to big market clubs (and their enormous salaries) and...
- 9/24/2011
- Cinelinx
.Moneyball. is a fantastic film about the Oakland A.s general manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt. But it.s not just about baseball, it.s a revolution, much like Sony.s .The Social Network. last year. The studio is releasing .Moneyball. this fall, and yes, it.s an Oscar-bait. And deservingly so.
In the film, Chris Pratt plays Scott Hatteberg and he hits a homerun! I enjoyed talking to the actor who is also appearing on NBC.s Parks and Recreation. In this interview, we talked about:
*** His attraction to working on the film
*** His character
*** Working with a great cast
*** Baseball!
Have Fun!
Here's more info on "Moneyball" from Yahoo:
Billy Beane was once a would-be baseball superstar who, stung by the failure to live up to expectations on the field, turned his fiercely competitive nature to management. Heading into the 2002 season, Billy faces a dismal situation:...
In the film, Chris Pratt plays Scott Hatteberg and he hits a homerun! I enjoyed talking to the actor who is also appearing on NBC.s Parks and Recreation. In this interview, we talked about:
*** His attraction to working on the film
*** His character
*** Working with a great cast
*** Baseball!
Have Fun!
Here's more info on "Moneyball" from Yahoo:
Billy Beane was once a would-be baseball superstar who, stung by the failure to live up to expectations on the field, turned his fiercely competitive nature to management. Heading into the 2002 season, Billy faces a dismal situation:...
- 9/24/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Brad Pitt baseball movie almost didn't happen.
By Eric Ditzian
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
As far as baseball books go, Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" isn't exactly an obvious candidate for Hollywood's adaptation machine. It's filled with geeky tales about the importance of obscure stats like "wins above replacement," the founding of fantasy sports and the evolution of a guy named Bill James from factory worker to baseball deity.
Yet at the center of the story is the quest of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane to turn his small-market, cash-poor ballclub into a perennial champion. And it's that story that forms the heart of Brad Pitt's "Moneyball," an underdog sports narrative quite at home among its Hollywood antecedents.
It almost didn't happen. But like the 2002 A's, "Moneyball" beat the odds and landed in theaters on Friday (September 23). Here, in cheat-sheet form, is the story...
By Eric Ditzian
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
As far as baseball books go, Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" isn't exactly an obvious candidate for Hollywood's adaptation machine. It's filled with geeky tales about the importance of obscure stats like "wins above replacement," the founding of fantasy sports and the evolution of a guy named Bill James from factory worker to baseball deity.
Yet at the center of the story is the quest of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane to turn his small-market, cash-poor ballclub into a perennial champion. And it's that story that forms the heart of Brad Pitt's "Moneyball," an underdog sports narrative quite at home among its Hollywood antecedents.
It almost didn't happen. But like the 2002 A's, "Moneyball" beat the odds and landed in theaters on Friday (September 23). Here, in cheat-sheet form, is the story...
- 9/23/2011
- MTV Movie News
Brad Pitt baseball movie almost didn't happen.
By Eric Ditzian
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
As far as baseball books go, Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" isn't exactly an obvious candidate for Hollywood's adaptation machine. It's filled with geeky tales about the importance of obscure stats like "wins above replacement," the founding of fantasy sports and the evolution of a guy named Bill James from factory worker to baseball deity.
Yet at the center of the story is the quest of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane to turn his small-market, cash-poor ballclub into a perennial champion. And it's that story that forms the heart of Brad Pitt's "Moneyball," an underdog sports narrative quite at home among its Hollywood antecedents.
It almost didn't happen. But like the 2002 A's, "Moneyball" beat the odds and landed in theaters on Friday (September 23). Here, in cheat-sheet form, is the story...
By Eric Ditzian
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
As far as baseball books go, Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" isn't exactly an obvious candidate for Hollywood's adaptation machine. It's filled with geeky tales about the importance of obscure stats like "wins above replacement," the founding of fantasy sports and the evolution of a guy named Bill James from factory worker to baseball deity.
Yet at the center of the story is the quest of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane to turn his small-market, cash-poor ballclub into a perennial champion. And it's that story that forms the heart of Brad Pitt's "Moneyball," an underdog sports narrative quite at home among its Hollywood antecedents.
It almost didn't happen. But like the 2002 A's, "Moneyball" beat the odds and landed in theaters on Friday (September 23). Here, in cheat-sheet form, is the story...
- 9/23/2011
- MTV Music News
Moneyball is just as much a sports movie as any other. It's got the drama of winning and losing and there's a "your job is on the line" kind of risk-taking that keeps it thrilling. But for some reason it feels different than other sports movies. Perhaps it's because the way it approaches the sport. It approaches the game as an economics problem, but even still it isn't a film that dedicates itself to analysis. Director Bennett Miller (Capote) has taken a story centered on a major league baseball team using stats and math formulas to recruit players and build a team on a budget and given it a heartbeat. It never tries too hard and settles into the story nicely, making for a very enjoyable movie with a sense of faith, trust, teamwork, loyalty and desire at its core to go along with an excellent lead performance by Brad Pitt.
- 9/23/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Pitt tells MTV News it was studio's call to tap new director Bennett Miller, who proved to be right man for the sports flick.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia TriStar
Steven Soderbergh had nothing if not grand ambitions for his take on "Moneyball."
"I hope it sets a new standard," he told MTV News in the spring of 2009. "Hopefully, anybody who makes a sports movie from now on is going to have to grapple with this."
Soderbergh's plan for the adaptation of Michael Lewis' best-selling book about the 2002 Oakland A's included re-creating the bowels of Oakland Coliseum and casting ballplayers and coaches to play their big-screen counterparts. The filmmaker also proposed, most ambitiously (and probably a bit bizarrely), the use of an Oracle-like persona, based on the legendary statistician Bill James, presented as an animated character and commissioned with narrating the action.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia TriStar
Steven Soderbergh had nothing if not grand ambitions for his take on "Moneyball."
"I hope it sets a new standard," he told MTV News in the spring of 2009. "Hopefully, anybody who makes a sports movie from now on is going to have to grapple with this."
Soderbergh's plan for the adaptation of Michael Lewis' best-selling book about the 2002 Oakland A's included re-creating the bowels of Oakland Coliseum and casting ballplayers and coaches to play their big-screen counterparts. The filmmaker also proposed, most ambitiously (and probably a bit bizarrely), the use of an Oracle-like persona, based on the legendary statistician Bill James, presented as an animated character and commissioned with narrating the action.
- 9/21/2011
- MTV Movie News
Pitt tells MTV News it was studio's call to tap new director Bennett Miller, who proved to be right man for the sports flick.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia TriStar
Steven Soderbergh had nothing if not grand ambitions for his take on "Moneyball."
"I hope it sets a new standard," he told MTV News in the spring of 2009. "Hopefully, anybody who makes a sports movie from now on is going to have to grapple with this."
Soderbergh's plan for the adaptation of Michael Lewis' best-selling book about the 2002 Oakland A's included re-creating the bowels of Oakland Coliseum and casting ballplayers and coaches to play their big-screen counterparts. The filmmaker also proposed, most ambitiously (and probably a bit bizarrely), the use of an Oracle-like persona, based on the legendary statistician Bill James, presented as an animated character and commissioned with narrating the action.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia TriStar
Steven Soderbergh had nothing if not grand ambitions for his take on "Moneyball."
"I hope it sets a new standard," he told MTV News in the spring of 2009. "Hopefully, anybody who makes a sports movie from now on is going to have to grapple with this."
Soderbergh's plan for the adaptation of Michael Lewis' best-selling book about the 2002 Oakland A's included re-creating the bowels of Oakland Coliseum and casting ballplayers and coaches to play their big-screen counterparts. The filmmaker also proposed, most ambitiously (and probably a bit bizarrely), the use of an Oracle-like persona, based on the legendary statistician Bill James, presented as an animated character and commissioned with narrating the action.
- 9/21/2011
- MTV Music News
Brad Pitt in Moneyball
Photo: Columbia Pictures Moneyball is just as much a sports movie as any other. It's got the drama of winning and losing and there's a "your job is on the line" kind of risk-taking that keeps it thrilling. But for some reason it feels different than other sports movies. Perhaps it's because the way it approaches the sport. It approaches the game as an economics problem, but even still it isn't a film that dedicates itself to analysis. Director Bennett Miller (Capote) has taken a story centered on a major league baseball team using stats and math formulas to recruit players and build a team on a budget and given it a heartbeat. It never tries too hard and settles into the story nicely, making for a very enjoyable movie with a sense of faith, trust, teamwork, loyalty and desire at its core to go along...
Photo: Columbia Pictures Moneyball is just as much a sports movie as any other. It's got the drama of winning and losing and there's a "your job is on the line" kind of risk-taking that keeps it thrilling. But for some reason it feels different than other sports movies. Perhaps it's because the way it approaches the sport. It approaches the game as an economics problem, but even still it isn't a film that dedicates itself to analysis. Director Bennett Miller (Capote) has taken a story centered on a major league baseball team using stats and math formulas to recruit players and build a team on a budget and given it a heartbeat. It never tries too hard and settles into the story nicely, making for a very enjoyable movie with a sense of faith, trust, teamwork, loyalty and desire at its core to go along...
- 9/9/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
.Any other team wins the World Series, good for them.
They’re drinking champagne, they get a ring.
But if we win, on our budget, with this team…we’ll change the game.
And that’s what I want. I want it to mean something..
In 2003, former Salomon Brothers bond trader turned author Michael Lewis, at the time best known for such business and politics bestsellers as Liar.s Poker and The New New Thing, published a book about baseball. Only it wasn.t just about baseball. On the surface, it was about how the under-funded, underrated Oakland A.s took on an unfair system of big-money and powerhouse teams. But it was really about the fascinating mix of men behind a major cultural shift and how a risky vision, born from necessity, becomes reality, when a ragtag team of cast-offs rejected due to unfounded biases, get the chance to finally prove their potential.
They’re drinking champagne, they get a ring.
But if we win, on our budget, with this team…we’ll change the game.
And that’s what I want. I want it to mean something..
In 2003, former Salomon Brothers bond trader turned author Michael Lewis, at the time best known for such business and politics bestsellers as Liar.s Poker and The New New Thing, published a book about baseball. Only it wasn.t just about baseball. On the surface, it was about how the under-funded, underrated Oakland A.s took on an unfair system of big-money and powerhouse teams. But it was really about the fascinating mix of men behind a major cultural shift and how a risky vision, born from necessity, becomes reality, when a ragtag team of cast-offs rejected due to unfounded biases, get the chance to finally prove their potential.
- 9/9/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"It is not as if we walk through one doorway and decide that murder is acceptable. You have to walk through many doorways. ... It's a long, long series of doorways, until you end up in a room where a terrible thing happens. So the question is, 'How many doorways away are you?' It's not a question about a person's capacity to commit a murder. It's a question of how many doorways we keep between ourselves and that situation."-- Bill James
"Breaking Bad" is probably the darkest show on television right now, and it's also the most magnetic. Those two things are not unrelated. Creator Vince Gilligan has fashioned a fantastically layered world that revolves around a man who, at the start of the show's fourth season, is manufacturing tons of crystal meth and willing to kill to keep doing it. That Walter White didn't start out this way...
"Breaking Bad" is probably the darkest show on television right now, and it's also the most magnetic. Those two things are not unrelated. Creator Vince Gilligan has fashioned a fantastically layered world that revolves around a man who, at the start of the show's fourth season, is manufacturing tons of crystal meth and willing to kill to keep doing it. That Walter White didn't start out this way...
- 7/18/2011
- by Daniel Carlson
The trailers are starting to make the rounds for the digested, regurgitated and over-incubated adaptation of Michael Lewis' best-selling baseball novel, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Brad Pitt pushed for a film version of the novel, which highlights the change in direction of the Oakland Athletics under General Manager Billy Beane. The San Francisco Bay Area franchise was one of the highest spending clubs in the early parts of the 90s, but after owner Walter Haas died in 1995, the new ownership group slashed payroll and cut operating costs (apparently this sort of behavior isn't limited to the New York Knights or Charlie Sheen's Cleveland Indians).
Beane's strategies expanded upon statistical analysis with objective studies and regressions analysis and all sorts of mathematical approaches, embracing the field of "Sabermetrics". By developing a different idea about how baseball games were won, and a different idea about which...
Beane's strategies expanded upon statistical analysis with objective studies and regressions analysis and all sorts of mathematical approaches, embracing the field of "Sabermetrics". By developing a different idea about how baseball games were won, and a different idea about which...
- 6/23/2011
- by Dustin Rowles
Welcome to No Fact Zone’s weekly roundup of cultural references on The Colbert Report. From Darcy to Danger Mouse, String Theory to Shakespeare, we’ve got the keys to this week’s obscure, oddball, and occasionally obscene cultural shout-outs (hey!).
Howdy again, Zoners! What a week this was, filled with all sorts of news, and humorous moments from Stephen and the folks at The Report. I didn’t realized how much time had passed since we first began to search for Bin Laden until Stephen pulled out that cake. The Weakest Link? Seems like yesterday we saw that show come and go. What were your favorite segments?
Monday
Long Awaited “We Got Bin Laden” Party
What’s up Bin Laden, you are the weakest link. Goodbye!
Talk about a trip in time machine, I’d forgotten about this game. Weakest Link was a show that aired in American for...
Howdy again, Zoners! What a week this was, filled with all sorts of news, and humorous moments from Stephen and the folks at The Report. I didn’t realized how much time had passed since we first began to search for Bin Laden until Stephen pulled out that cake. The Weakest Link? Seems like yesterday we saw that show come and go. What were your favorite segments?
Monday
Long Awaited “We Got Bin Laden” Party
What’s up Bin Laden, you are the weakest link. Goodbye!
Talk about a trip in time machine, I’d forgotten about this game. Weakest Link was a show that aired in American for...
- 5/11/2011
- by Toad
- No Fact Zone
Here’s wishing Stephen a very happy birthday this week! Here’s All You Need To Know:
Episode Guides (we’re catching up, two weeks worth of episodes):
Fantasy Colbert League WeeklyEpisode 7053 – Guest Ron PaulEpisode 7054 – Guest A.C. GraylingEpisode 7055 – Guest Ice-TEpisode 7056 – Guest Wade GrahamEpisode 7057 – Guest Francis FukuyamaEpisode 7058 – Guest Rex RyanEpisode 7059 – Guest Amy FarrellEpisode 7060 – Guest Bill James
No Fact Zone features:
Four Horsemen of the ApopcalypseFangirl Suit Report
Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist:
U-Va starts Colbert Arts Scholars ProgramMore Video from ‘Company’!Stephen Colbert Gets Extreme in Outside Magazine
To keep up with the latest news about Stephen Colbert and “The Colbert Report”, please subscribe to the RSS feed, via reader, e-mail, or your favorite social networking site:...
Episode Guides (we’re catching up, two weeks worth of episodes):
Fantasy Colbert League WeeklyEpisode 7053 – Guest Ron PaulEpisode 7054 – Guest A.C. GraylingEpisode 7055 – Guest Ice-TEpisode 7056 – Guest Wade GrahamEpisode 7057 – Guest Francis FukuyamaEpisode 7058 – Guest Rex RyanEpisode 7059 – Guest Amy FarrellEpisode 7060 – Guest Bill James
No Fact Zone features:
Four Horsemen of the ApopcalypseFangirl Suit Report
Stephen Colbert in the Zeitgeist:
U-Va starts Colbert Arts Scholars ProgramMore Video from ‘Company’!Stephen Colbert Gets Extreme in Outside Magazine
To keep up with the latest news about Stephen Colbert and “The Colbert Report”, please subscribe to the RSS feed, via reader, e-mail, or your favorite social networking site:...
- 5/8/2011
- by seshat
- No Fact Zone
Episode Number: 7060 (May 5, 2011)
Guests: Bill James
Segments: Stephen Confesses to a Distracted Media, ThreatDown, Inaugural Republican Presidential Debate & Donald Trump’s Wisdom
Videos: Thursday, May 5, 2011
I’m always amused by the things Stephen says right at the top of the show that give some clue to the audience interaction before the taping. Today’s topic seemed to be New Zealand and The Hobbit, which makes me think that someone asked if Stephen would want to be in the movie. Or if he’d give a hobbit a massage. One of those things. Anyway, Stephen’s frustration with how the assassination of Bin Laden is dominating the news is understandable, especially since the story of the raid keeps breaking in bits and pieces. But there are definite advantages to having one big story dominate the news. Got something bad/embarrassing/possibly career-ending that you need to get out? Wait until a big news story breaks,...
Guests: Bill James
Segments: Stephen Confesses to a Distracted Media, ThreatDown, Inaugural Republican Presidential Debate & Donald Trump’s Wisdom
Videos: Thursday, May 5, 2011
I’m always amused by the things Stephen says right at the top of the show that give some clue to the audience interaction before the taping. Today’s topic seemed to be New Zealand and The Hobbit, which makes me think that someone asked if Stephen would want to be in the movie. Or if he’d give a hobbit a massage. One of those things. Anyway, Stephen’s frustration with how the assassination of Bin Laden is dominating the news is understandable, especially since the story of the raid keeps breaking in bits and pieces. But there are definite advantages to having one big story dominate the news. Got something bad/embarrassing/possibly career-ending that you need to get out? Wait until a big news story breaks,...
- 5/6/2011
- by Ann G
- No Fact Zone
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today we celebrate the brilliance of Corona's marketing team in discerning that Americans are extremely fond of cultural holidays that we perceive to be centered around drinking themed alcohol (see: St.Patrick's Day) and that any excuse to eat nachos is a good one. It sends a clear and coherent message to other cultures that we will adopt your fun holidays with glee but god forbid you ever try to move here. I do not yet have a comically oversized margarita in my hand, but as I'm writing this it's not even 2:30pm, so it's only a matter of time. Of course, if you're not in a celebratory mood, it appears that the Thursday night shows are new and where they're supposed to be for like, the second week in a row now which shouldn't be remarkable but unfortunately is. Here's your Thursday night TV:...
- 5/5/2011
- by Intern Rusty
Bill James is a statistical baseball junkie who tossed numbers and charts aside to dive into the most sensational crimes from the 1600s to present day in his book, “Popular Crime.” As his second passion (behind baseball), James is a voracious reader of crime novels (think “The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Dr. Sam Sheppard Murder Case”). This book serves as more an anthology than novel, as James began writing and compiling the stories in the 1980s.
- 5/3/2011
- by Alexandra Cheney
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Hello, Zoners!
I hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to another week of wonderfulness. I had everything for this post written and ready to go, but with shock and surprise, only moments ago I scrapped my original greeting. For right now, late on Sunday, I am in front of my TV set, watching President Obama, and trying to absorb the news that nearly 10 years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, bin Laden is dead. As a New Yorker, this naturally resonates profoundly with me. I sit here, remembering that day in September, which was so beautiful when it began, and so shattered.
I feel I know how Jon will handle this; I wonder what Stephen will do. Jon can be sincere, emotional, and himself. Stephen’s character complicates things, but I have complete faith that he is up to the task.
Now, as I take a breath,...
I hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to another week of wonderfulness. I had everything for this post written and ready to go, but with shock and surprise, only moments ago I scrapped my original greeting. For right now, late on Sunday, I am in front of my TV set, watching President Obama, and trying to absorb the news that nearly 10 years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, bin Laden is dead. As a New Yorker, this naturally resonates profoundly with me. I sit here, remembering that day in September, which was so beautiful when it began, and so shattered.
I feel I know how Jon will handle this; I wonder what Stephen will do. Jon can be sincere, emotional, and himself. Stephen’s character complicates things, but I have complete faith that he is up to the task.
Now, as I take a breath,...
- 5/2/2011
- by Karenatasha
- No Fact Zone
After opening with the extremely dark, long couch-gag, there was no way The Simpsons could have failed last night.
The opening, which was credited to street artist Banksy, included a whipped panda, a dolphin head and a dying unicorn. That's a recipe for hilarity.
Oh, and then there was yet another Simpsons episode devoted to our boring American pastime, baseball. "MoneyBart" was a parody of the sabermetrics approached pioneered by Bill James and written about in Moneyball. While Moneyball was written in 2003 and the episode might not seem timely, the 2011 movie starring Brad Pitt should help.
While this week's installment will never replace our favorite Simpsons baseball episode, "Homer at the Bat," there were certainly plenty of great jokes and a strong enough story with heart to keep us entertained. We probably could have gone without the painful cameo by Mike Scioscia, though.
Some of our favorite Simpsons quotes moments...
The opening, which was credited to street artist Banksy, included a whipped panda, a dolphin head and a dying unicorn. That's a recipe for hilarity.
Oh, and then there was yet another Simpsons episode devoted to our boring American pastime, baseball. "MoneyBart" was a parody of the sabermetrics approached pioneered by Bill James and written about in Moneyball. While Moneyball was written in 2003 and the episode might not seem timely, the 2011 movie starring Brad Pitt should help.
While this week's installment will never replace our favorite Simpsons baseball episode, "Homer at the Bat," there were certainly plenty of great jokes and a strong enough story with heart to keep us entertained. We probably could have gone without the painful cameo by Mike Scioscia, though.
Some of our favorite Simpsons quotes moments...
- 10/11/2010
- by eric@mediavine.com (The Barnacle)
- TVfanatic
Photo via Mlb.com.During this afternoon’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player ever to hit 600 home runs. Only six other players in major-league history, including Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth, have reached this milestone. Today’s run, which happened to occur exactly three years to the day after Rodriguez scored his 500th homer, was greeted by a burst of applause from the crowd at Yankee Stadium and, presumably, well wishes from A-Rod’s inamorata, Cameron Diaz. Since the actress began seeing the third-baseman, she’s become a regular fixture at Yankees events, although reportedly he has discouraged her from attending actual games. Rodriguez’s ex-girlfriend Kate Hudson was frequently spotted in the stands; the same, however, can hardly be said of former fling Madonna. Taking a cue from Bill James’s sabermetrics, we conceptualized a new approach to baseball statistics...
- 8/4/2010
- Vanity Fair
Cory Monteith and his two co-stars in "Glee" have been confirmed among the guest stars for season 22 of "The Simpsons". The 28-year-old actor as well as Lea Michele and Amber Riley will all appear in the season premiere of the animated series that will be aired on Sunday, September 26.
The three stars of Fox's hit musical comedy series will take part in the "Elementary School Musical" episode as a group of fellow musically inclined campers Lisa Simpsons meets when she attends a performing arts camp. Joining them in the episode are Flight of the Conchords duo Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who will voice a couple of artsy counselors.
"The Simpsons" has also recruited a number of other celebrity guests for season 22. "Harry Potter" heartthrob Daniel Radcliffe and "House M.D." star Hugh Laurie will be lending their voices for the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode. "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm...
The three stars of Fox's hit musical comedy series will take part in the "Elementary School Musical" episode as a group of fellow musically inclined campers Lisa Simpsons meets when she attends a performing arts camp. Joining them in the episode are Flight of the Conchords duo Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who will voice a couple of artsy counselors.
"The Simpsons" has also recruited a number of other celebrity guests for season 22. "Harry Potter" heartthrob Daniel Radcliffe and "House M.D." star Hugh Laurie will be lending their voices for the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode. "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm...
- 8/3/2010
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
Several members of the "Glee" cast will pull double duty on Fox this fall when they lend their voices to "The Simpsons." Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and Amber Riley will guest-star in the season premiere on Sunday, Sept. 26. The episode, "Elementary School Musical," has Lisa (Yeardley Smith) going to a performing arts camp where the New Directions kids are fellow campers. Even better: Two of the counselors will be voiced by Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, aka Flight of the Conchords.
After returning home, Lisa becomes frustrated with her suburban lifestyle and heads to Sprooklyn where the cool kids live.
Other guest voices for the 22nd season of "The Simpsons" include "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe and "House's" Hugh Laurie, both of whom will be in the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode. Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, Alyson Hannigan, Rachel Weisz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and baseball statistical guru Bill James will also guest,...
After returning home, Lisa becomes frustrated with her suburban lifestyle and heads to Sprooklyn where the cool kids live.
Other guest voices for the 22nd season of "The Simpsons" include "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe and "House's" Hugh Laurie, both of whom will be in the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode. Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig, Alyson Hannigan, Rachel Weisz, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and baseball statistical guru Bill James will also guest,...
- 8/2/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
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