Moneyball (Mastered in 4K) (Blu-ray)

"Moneyball". Who would have guessed? Because the film APPEARS to be about baseball- which is fine with me- it waited unwatched on my shelf for many months. I purchased the film because of Aaron Sorkin- a writer for whom there is no equal today though for the past he is with Ibsen, Shaw, Shakespeare. Sorkinis responsible for so much but you all know him for writing the famous Nicholson line: ":You can't handle the truth!" Now part of LAmerican vernacular, like Sophie's Choice and Are You Lookin' at me? But I discovered a lot more. "Moneyball" is not about Baseball; it is about human beings who produce entertainment for America. After 32 years in the business of music and theatre, I spent 50% of my time with suits, agents, meetings and contracts, ownership of rights and a percent of the gross and box office and press and publicity and total lack of privacy- well, Theatre, film, music sports: America wants it and this film will show you the behind the scenes truth. Expertly, emotionally and with intense suspense.It is impossible to cite specific indivduals for the excellence of this film because the collaborative efect is so spectacular that one almost fails to notice. This film is based on the book of the same name by Michael Lewis (Norton & C0) but then, in a moment of brilliance, by executive producer, Scott Rudin, the screenplay was as mentioned, written by Aaron Sorkin and the remarkable Steven Zaillan. The screenplay is flawless and one can tell that there was very little- if any- improvised lines in the filming. There is a musical fluidity to the speach and soundtrack that line up flawless;ly, almost as if the two playwrites and fim composer, Mychael Danna, were all in one brain with a clear view off the final edit. The score is spectacular and Danna is not the only one responsible. The entire music department- including and additional composer- has created a musical masterpiece to sync with all else.Christopher Tellefsen's film editing is so beautiful, masterful and- yes, as the film teaches us- manipulative that even the most rugged 55 year old man will find a lump in his throat at times. But Bennett Miller, director, gets the credit for it all as the man with the final say and the man who, along with the written word, pulled these moving and remarkable performances out of some remarkable veteran actors. Brad Pitt has established himself as a serious actor here, though had he not been so remarkably attractive and half naked in "Thelma and Louise" the world would have seen it there. As a fourty-four year old man, divorced with a 13 year old daughter we see the sincere emotions that tug at the inside of his soul. He has a passion for baseball and at age 18 gave up a Scholarship at Stanord to sign with The New York Mets; a first draft pick that lasted only one season. Now he is the General Manager o the Oakland A's during the 2002 season and it is his intent to change baseball. He does this with the help of the very gifted actor, Jonah Hall by using statistical data to create a low budget baseball club, something for which everyone thinks is insane, particularly the team manager, played by the legend Phillip Seymour hofman in yet another dazling character performance. Pitt plays Billy Beane, a man pulled in many directions: baseball, his past, and his undying devotion to his daughter (expertly played by the miraculous Kerris Dorsey who twice in the film exhibts a singer-singwriter talent for her father perfformed by her without the use of studio fixing or embelishment- a true talent.) who, it turns out, delivers the most remarkable wisdom that the film offers. Her acting is something we haven;t sen from a 13 year old since Jpodie Foster did "Taxi Driver." This credit is indeed shared with Miller's direction, who clearly explained many adult and kid situations rather than the Hollywood tradition of cute, crying wide eyes children. In fact, the scenes between her and Pitt are some of the films most powerful. Still, I must mention Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Brent Jennings and- in a small but powerful performance, Diane Behrens, first amazing us in 1989 wit the film adaptation of Bob Woodward's "Wired." Her time on screen is so short; she has few lines and all in flashback memory (she plays Beane's mother) but what this woman conveys with her face and eyes is on a par with Meryl Streep.Arliss Howard, as the owner of the Boston red Sox, gives a remarkable eight minute performance filmed on location at Fenway Park-doing character work unlike anything he's done before.Most of us take the Director of Photography for granted, but, as with "Out Of Africa" this is one where we must pause. Wally Pfister has created a myriad of images that capture bnoth granduer and subtlety using angles, lighting, weather, composition in ways that are rarely seen on film.All of these elements, and many many more, come together to create a masterpiece of film. It will entertain and move you with one watch. That won't satisfy you. You will return, as most people do with Sorkin's writing, and you will begin to notice details in every department that you had;t seen previously. In an era when most of what Hollywood is producing is mindless special effect fantasy and Comic Book dreck, this is more exciting, more moving and more artistic than any film I have seen this decade.At this price, buy the thing. No matter what. For baseball fans this will be a vertible orgasmic event- better than the 86 world series.

Good entertaining movie.

Money Ball is another Great Movie and Brad Pitt is great.

Thank you for reading in advanceMoneyball is a 2011 American biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. The film is based on Michael Lewis's 2003 nonfiction book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team.Best film in particular is proof that Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are a match made in heaven when they're on screen together. Pitt has a confidence that makes him appear self-assured and he refuses to take no for an answer. He is known for playing as characters that consistently bite off more than they can chew, and this role feels like it was simply made for him. Hill, on the other hand, Is plagued with what seems like insecurity, but when he speaks it is apparent that he is very knowledgeable about what he is talking about and he is prepared to defend any of the comments that he makes. There is virtually no tension between these two actors despite the longevity of their roles (especially when compared to be interactions they have with other actors on set), and that adds a unique amount of authenticity to this story on its ownThere is some differences between this movie and the book that it is based off of, but these changes bolster the mood of the film and keep the integrity of the characters represented intact It is is noted that the motivation Beane (Pitt) has for being tenacious in his goal differs from a technical standpoint - in real life he was attempting to create a well-performing team using unorthodox techniques whereas in the movie he explicitly states his intention of “changing baseball” - And the insertion of this drama really drives the point home of how important people with roles like his can In the bigger picture. Some of the conversations “real baseball fans” would have more specified knowledge about are rather simplified and don't accurately reflect the amount of time and energy it takes to coordinate specific elements that are important to baseball; I imagine this is done to make me enjoyment of the story less exclusive, and if I might say, that was a very good decision on part of the director.If I had to bring up one criticism - and, honestly this isn't really even a complaint - Beanes unwavering optimism seems a little out of place when you consider the larger context of this story. At no point does the audience get the sense that Beane has any doubts about the new way in which he has been advised to choose players, and he doesn't make it a point to ruminate on the potential downsides or disadvantages to it. Peter (Hill) - who was a real person that just went by a different name - does a remarkable job of explaining the nature in which his statistical analysis of players works , but Beane does has not respond in a way I think someone that needs more clarity might do so. It's obviously possible that in real life he already had a basic understanding of how these methods work, but failure to elaborate on this even slightly doesn't do any of the significant struggles he had during this time any justice. Some insight is provided through interactions he has with characters that have little-to-no investment in his role (Mainly, his daughter), and I would have just liked those moments to either be a little longer or be a little more intense. Regardless, these might just be my own expectations, but I imagine they may resonate with at least one other person. An inspirational film that anone (Even those that have little interest in sports) can enjoy:I would recommend!

Good movie, for baseball fan and non-baseball persons. Great performance of Brad Pitt.

As a baseball fan, I loved the movie.

Para mi una gran película, que durante dos horas entretiene. Si además te gusta los entresijos del deporte, pues aún mas. Lo que hay que tener en cuenta es que ni en sonido ni en subtítulos tiene el español, por lo que es necesario ponerlo o inglés o alemán, u otro idioma que ahora no recuerdo, pero vamos que español en ningún caso.Por otro lado, no es 4K, está remasterizado y por tanto no es un 4K "puro", si lo compra por esto pues en mi opinión no cumple los objetivos. Como película genial, pero en el resto pues habrá que esperar mejores versiones.

A movie you'll like if you like sports or you like maths. If you happen to like both maths and sports, you HAVE to watch it.

Voici l’histoire vraie de Billy Beane, un ancien joueur de baseball prometteur qui, à défaut d’avoir réussi sur le terrain, décida de tenter sa chance en dirigeant une équipe comme personne ne l’avait fait auparavant…Alors que la saison 2002 se profile, Billy Beane, le manager général des Oakland Athletics, est confronté à une situation difficile : sa petite équipe a encore perdu ses meilleurs joueurs, attirés par les grands clubs et leurs gros salaires. Bien décidé à gagner malgré tout, il cherche des solutions qui ne coûtent rien et auxquelles personne n’aurait pensé avant… Il va s’appuyer sur des théories statistiques et engager Peter Brand, un économiste amateur de chiffres issu de Yale. Ensemble, contre tous les principes, ils reconsidèrent la valeur de chaque joueur sur la base des statistiques et réunissent une brochette de laissés-pour-compte oubliés par l’establishment du baseball. Trop bizarres, trop vieux, blessés ou posant trop de problèmes, tous ces joueurs ont en commun des capacités sous-évaluées. Avec leurs méthodes et leur équipe de bras cassés, Beane et Brand s’attirent les moqueries et l’hostilité de la vieille garde, des médias et des fans, jusqu’à ce que les premiers résultats tombent… Sans le savoir, Beane est en train de révolutionner toute la pratique d’un des sports les plus populaires du monde.