Moneyball

Heartwarming sports drama touches the soul.

Being a diehard baseball fan, I was curious to see how this nonfictional bestseller by Michael Lewis would transfer to the big screen. His previous novel to be made into a film The Blind Side was very good, so my hopes were high. Moneyball didn't disappoint.

I'll admit I was a little surprised by many of the actors cast in this film. Be prepared, if you follow professional baseball, you'll know what Billy Beane, Art Howe, David Justice and many other baseball figures portrayed by actors in Moneyball look like.  Brad Pitt bears about as much resemblance to the tall, slim real life Billy Beane as Philip Seymour Hoffman does to the tall, slim real life Art Howe. Both play their roles very well though. Jonah Hill, star of such films as Superbad and Get Him to the Greek, is fantastic and screen stealing as Peter Brand, a young Yale educated economist who catches Billy Beane's eye due to his new and strange but nonetheless effective way of figuring out baseball. The film focuses on Beane's journey as general manager of the struggling Oakland Athletics, a team with few fans and even less money. With only a few people who believe in him, Beane embarks on a quest that shocks many and almost costs him his job but forever changes the way the game is played. Whether you're a baseball fan or not, this is a great movie. Don't expect the tearjerking family drama of The Blind Side but this movie has some emotional scenes of its own. Its not about sports on the whole, its really about one man's courage and determination to leave his mark on the game he loves. A truly heartwarming account of nonfictional events, Moneyball will steal your heart and leave you cheering.

50/50

Will make you laugh out loud but also touch your heart.

We're used to seeing Seth Rogen in crass films such as "Knocked Up," "Pineapple Express," "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"..ect, playing crass roles. In this movie, however, Rogen manages to play the same obnoxious character but actually come across as almost deep.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, a 27 year old young man whose life is pretty good until he discovers that he has a rare spinal cancer. Aided by his crude friend Kyle (Rogen) and seemingly perfect girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard) he begins the slow, painful path to recover, paved with heartbreak, painful reality checks, and overbearing parents. Through it all though, Adam keeps his head up because he knows he has a 50/50 chance of conquering this disease. As Kyle says "If you were a game in a casino, you'd be the one with the highest odds. On the whole, Adam's journey is more one of self discovery than anything else. He is also aided by a cute but somewhat quirky therapist (Anna Kendrick) who proves surprisingly useful in helping him sort out his life, in more ways than one. This movie isn't a comedy but it does have some good laughs and plenty of heart. What are the odds you will enjoy it? I'd say at least 50/50

4 Stars