Movie Review "Crazy Heart"

Still catching up on the award bait from last year, this week we’re taking a look at the Jeff Bridges vehicle, Crazy Heart (R). In the film Bridges plays a washed-up country and western music star (Bad Blake) who’s trying to recapture the fame of his past. Maggie Gyllenhaal costars as an aspiring journalist who falls in love with the troubled balladeer. Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall also costar in the film. Scott Cooper directs.



Ryan: Maybe it’s not completely fair but in some circles Crazy Heart is being sold as this year’s The Wrestler. Ultimately that’s a smart (The Wrestler was one of the best films of 2008) and accurate depiction (as it follows the template of that film of a “has-been” star trying to recapture fame while putting his life back together). But to me that’s where the similarities end. The Wrestler was a great film whereas Crazy Heart is simply a pretty good movie.



Andy: While certainly not as good as The Wrestler, Crazy Heart does work artistically in the same way that film did. It very convincingly shows Bridges’s Bad Blake as a decaying star on the verge of either an unlikely comeback or a predictable breakdown. There are two major differences here, with the first being that Blake is indeed bad. His character is much more despicable than The Wrestler, even if he does carry around a convincing amount of country charm. The second is that the focus on country music allows for some pretty solid old-style Nashville tunes, a significant advantage that makes up for some of the movie’s shortcomings.



Ryan: The biggest strength of the movie is the actual music used in the movie and the presentation of that music. There’s clearly an authenticity with regard to the music that enhances Crazy Heart. Not only do the actors (Bridges and Farrell) perform most of the music in the movie but the original songs in the film are smoothly integrated into the (fictional) story of Bad Blake. When it comes down to it, the theme song to Crazy Heart (written and performed by Ryan Bingham) will get nominated and probably (should) win an Oscar for Best Song.



Andy: Having solid original music is a must for a movie like this, and Crazy Heart does a great job. There are some country classics mixed in with the flawlessly executed originals, which were used with surprising restraint by director Scott Cooper. Ryan’s right about “Crazy Heart” being the obvious choice for the Oscar, but for my money “Fallin’ & Flyin’” is the essential track.



Ryan: Speaking of the Oscars, Jeff Bridges is a lock for an Oscar nod for Best Actor. He’s already won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award so consequently there’s no question that he’s the odds on favorite to win his first Oscar. While it’s hard to believe that Bridges has never won an Oscar, I found his performance good but not transcendent (although much of that could be attributed to the made-for-TV-esque material that he's working with). No question, Bridges looks, acts and sounds like a genuine country music singer and he delivers a noteworthy performance. I’m just not sold on him being the front-runner when looking at his competition (Clooney, Firth and Renner). Ultimately, it was a good performance that lifted the movie to above average. Final grade: C+.



Andy: I found Bridges performance to be the most convincing I’ve seen this year. He makes your root for a character that should be unlikable, and carries a bunch of great songs around with him for good measure. The film itself may not be a revelation, but it is well executed on just about every level. If this is made-for-TV movie material, then I should start watching more made-for-TV movies. Bridges, Gyllenhaal, the music, and the directing are all top notch, earning Crazy Heart a B+.

MLB Lineup of the '90's

Last night on the MLB Network I was watching Prime 9. It’s a countdown show of various topics like—the best managers of all-time or the top clutch hitters of all-time. Needless to say I love watching this show.

Last night’s show was selecting the all ‘80’s team. It was as followed. . .

1B: Don Mattingly
2B: Ryne Sandburg
3B: Mike Schmdit
SS: Cal Ripken
LF: Rickey Henderson
CF: Dale Murphy
RF: Dwight Evans
C: Gary Carter
P: Jack Morris

Definitely not a bad team with 5 hall of famers (Sandburg, Schmidt, Carter, Ripken and Henderson). It’s hard to argue with Mattingly and Murphy as well. They had fantastic season in the ‘80’s (three MVP’s between them). Evans was a bit of surprise but when one looks at his production during that time frame than it becomes apparent that he was consistently a good player during the ‘80’s. Jack Morris gets this nod I think simply because he won the most games during the decade but he never won a Cy Young so I’m not convinced that he was the best choice. There was just no other obvious choice. The great pitchers of the ‘70’s (Ryan, Palmer, Seaver, Carlton) couldn’t carry their success throughout the whole decade and the next generation of pitchers (Gooden, Hershiser and then Clemens and Maddux) didn’t pitch enough in the decade to trump Morris’s production throughout the decade.

But anyway it got me thinking on what the team of the ‘90’s would be. Granted it’s an arbitrary timeframe and that does pose some questions that I’ll get into.
After some thought it’s as follows. . .

First Baseman

Frank Thomas
Average Season: .319 (BA)/ .440 (OBP)/ .575 (SLG)/ 103 (runs)/ 33 (HR)/ 112 (RBI) 169 OPS+
This was close-- with Jeff Bagwell involved in the discussion but Thomas gets the nod because his number are (slightly) better than Bagwell’s and he did win one more MVP award.

Second Baseman

Roberto Alomar
Average season: .308/ .382/ .400. . .95 (runs)/ 14 (HR)/ 73 (RBI)/ 31 (SB). 125 OPS+
This was a toss up with Biggio but I went with Alomar simply because he was better defensively.

Third Baseman

Chipper Jones
Average season: .301/ .394/ .529. . .108 (runs)/ 31 (HR)/ 105 (RBI)/ 17 (SB) 137 OPS+
Jones only played five seasons in the ‘90’s (he did win the ’99 MVP) but there really wasn’t much competition. Like I said earlier this is an arbitrary time frame and there just wasn’t anyone else to look at. So consequently playing five years is my cut off for a player’s qualifications to be considered.

Shortstop

Barry Larkin
Average Season: .303/ .388/ .466. . .83 (runs)/ 14 (HR)/ 64 (RBI)/ 27 (SB) 126 OPS+

Not much debate here. Larkin was hands down the best SS of any league throughout the duration of the ‘90’s.

Left Field

Barry Bonds
Average Season: .302/ .434/ .602. . .109 (runs)/ 36 (HR)/ 108 (RBI)/ 34 (SB) 179 OPS+
If you buy Game of Shadows than you know that Bonds didn’t start juicing until after the ’98 season so we have 90% of the decade in which Bonds was clean. And that’s the great tragedy of Bonds. . .he was already an elite player before he crossed the line.

Center Field

Ken Griffey Jr.
Average Season: .302/ .384/ .581. . .100 (runs)/ 38 (HR)/ 109 (RBI)/ 15 (SB) 152 OPS+
Not much of a debate here.

Right Field:

Larry Walker
Average Season: .313/ .390/ .571. . .88 (runs)/ 26 (HR)/ 85 (RBI)/ 18 (SB)/ 142 OPS+
Injuries affected his season averages but it’s still solid enough across the board (did win MVP in ’97). His power and defense bumps him over Tony Gwynn, who garnered strong consideration with a .344 batting average for the decade.

Catcher

Mike Piazza
Average Season: .330/ .393/ .580. . .87 (runs)/ 24 (HR)/ 109 (RBI) 157 OPS+.
Pudge was better defensively but Piazza’s offensive numbers dwarf him and the rest of the competition.

Pitcher

Greg Maddux
Average Season: 18-9/ 176 (K)/ 1.06 (WHIP)/ 2.54 (ERA)/ 162 ERA+

Pedro had an argument but Maddux threw 1,000+ more innings than Pedro and still had a lower ERA. Plus, winning 4 Cy Youngs in a row surely doesn’t hurt.

"A Single Man" movie review

With award season in full swing, we continue to look at the top performances of 2009. This week, we watched A Single Man (R). Colin Firth stars as a mourning English professor in 1950s California who is contemplating his life after the untimely death of his lover. Julianne Moore costars and American fashion designer Tom Ford makes is directorial debut.

Ryan: A Single Man is one of Hollywood's more fruitful offerings of the year. It's a complex character study involving a day in the life of one man's existential dilemma in trying to still find meaning in a world where his lover has unexpectedly died. Further complicating the situation is the character's sexuality and more specifically how he's unable to fully be himself in a society that is unwilling (or not ready) to accept an openly gay man. All-in-all A Single Man would be a worthy film to garner a Best Picture nomination and I think it's definitely a real possibility that it will.

Andy: A Single Man has flown under the radar, mostly (and deservedly) receiving credit for Colin Firth’s intricate and emotive performance. The film itself is also very well crafted, but it is hard not to shine the focus on Firth. Simply put, there is no film with out his tortured characterization of George. One of the most memorable aspects of Firth’s turn here is that for most of the film he is a man trying to hold it together in public, and we see him subtly losing for much of the film. Watching an actor walk that thin line over the course of the movie is truly a treat when it is done well, as it is here.

Ryan: Saying this film is a Colin Firth vehicle is slightly disingenuous to a movie of this ilk. Normally that term is used for more genre-specific films and not indie dramas. But if one thinks of that term in meaning a movie that best showcases the talent of a specific actor then by all mean this is a vehicle for Firth. Unquestionable he rises to the challenge. This is one of the best performances of the year and I will be shocked if he isn't rewarded with an Oscar nomination (which would be his first). He completely sells his performance of a desperate, conflicted man trying to overcome the tragic loss of his companion.

Andy: A Single Man is not the easiest film to watch, as it is very dramatic and intense. Julianne Moore’s character is able to provide a little light-hearted empathy, but for the most part, this is a movie about a cheerless time in one man’s life, and the film acts accordingly. As we see Firth’s character become more and more unraveled, the emotional depth becomes greater and greater. The very end of the film may strike an odd tone for some, but watching this character play out is fairly fascinating no matter how you feel about the conclusion.

Ryan: Although he's a successful fashion designer, Tom Ford is a rookie in the world of cinema. But make no mistake about it his debut is one of the year's more interesting films and he definitely demonstrates that he has a lot of promise as a filmmaker. Yes he's overly concerned with the look of the film (the furniture, the clothes, etc.) and there's no doubt that the style of the movie is very important to Ford. But this isn't a film that's all style. If anything the movie's style creates a thriving environment for the actors—especially Firth—to give all-around authentic performances.

Andy: There is no question that this movie establishes Ford was a very promising new director. At times his visual affect becomes a little too obvious. But the fact that a director is playing with lighting and composition is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not something I want to be noticing when I should be paying attention to the story. If Ford continues to make films and hones is craft, he could make some truly brilliant films.

A Single Man is a good movie highlighted by a great performance. Final grade: B+.