I'm struck, years later, by how skillful "Moneyball" is in making the potential end of 19-game winning streak seem like the end of the world until Hatteberg hits the homer. There's some basic moviemaking magic in the way the 20th win unfolds - the layering of PBP, soundtrack, editing...

When the quality of your own art relies somewhat heavily on pastiche, amalgamation and even a little bit of appropriation, the quality of the artists from which you're pulling matters a lot. I think it's possible we've kind of recently run out of good music for certain artists to do that with.

28 YEARS LATER - Two-thirds work of art (the first and third acts) with a slow middle. The "found" quality of the bone towers lends to its power; in cameo, Ralph Fiennes is at his sanest and most humane. Danny Boyle brings out the old toolchest of movie tricks; he's a British Oliver Stone. ***/****

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8 - Show runner McQuarrie overwhelms star Cruise's instincts; the movie veers into Clancy/Reacher territory and remains humorless, pious. Plane chase/fight ain't it. Sub sequence is a bruiser of noise and intensity but 30 minutes out of 3 hours. **/****

PIG - Slow opening half hour follows reclusive chef (Nic Cage) as his truffle-finding pig gets kidnapped. As his journey heads to all his old haunts in Portland, story opens up a bit. Dimly-lit and obtuse - is the camera a recluse, too? - for too much of its running time. **/****

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME - Minor Wes Anderson, with Benecio Del Toro in Royal Tanenbaum-esque role & Mia Threapleton (Kate Winslet's kid) as estranged daughter summoned to inherit his fortune. Very last scene - lovely. Few laughs along the way. I don't care for Tom Hanks in this universe. **/****

BLACK BAG - Steven Soderbergh wonders why no one went to watch his Fassbender-Blanchett spy movie. I don’t. The movie’s lit as if the viewer is coming out of a long, foggy sleep, the script is inert, and, for some time, we’re not sure what’s at stake. A prestige bore. **/****

Thrilled to see one my favorite directors, Lynne Ramsey, getting extended pub in Cannes for her movie with Jennifer Lawrence.

Kate and Rooney Mara in a Werner Herzog movie? That'll work.

THUNDERBOLTS* - A murky-looking, cynical, vaguely-depressing experience partially redeemed by Son Lux's rousing film score (that seems to gently suggest The Pixies) and Florence Pugh's instinct to pair a kidlike swagger with an adult's narrowed-eyed sense of humor. In other words, she acts. **/****

If you wanna understand the power of HBO among critics, consider that Danny McBride got an oral history longform piece dedicated to his work that takes 32 minutes to read.

Love that PTA is taking on Pynchon again. Even more excited that it's Leo in the lead and not Phoenix.

Outside of perhaps Rogue One, it’s possible Revenge of the Sith is the best Star Wars movie since Return of the Jedi.

10 Oscar *predictions* Picture: Conclave Actor: Chalamet Actress: Moore Director: Baker S. Actor: Culkin S. Actress: Saldana O. Screenplay: Anora A. Screenplay: Conclave Cinematography: Brutalist Animated: Wild Robot

TAR - Todd Field's astonishing commentary on the state of art, erudition felled by eros, the human capacity to seek gods and act like monsters. Features a third act to which PTA's The Master aspired, but couldn't grasp. Nakedly provocative to audience, the best movie in many years. ****/****

MILLER'S CROSSING - A gangster film with sorrowful integrity as its signature note, as expressed by one of Carter Burwell's best scores. A Coen Brothers movie before irony kicked too deep in, about the hooks one person can put in another and the mob war it causes. ****/****

EMILIA PEREZ - Major points for originality, blending violent action, musical & telenovela notes into story of cartel boss (Karla Sofía Gascón) who finds true self/makes amends but can't, won't outrun her past life. As the cartel boss's lawyer, who knows all, Zoe Saldana will win an Oscar. ***/****

FLIGHT RISK - Action movie built on the enemies-trapped-in-a-plane premise; only Topher Grace, as a government witness, comes of well. Mark Wahlberg, as pilot/hitman, is a sick ****, unnecessarily; is that director Mel Gibson's touch? To Gibson's credit, movie "lands" with memorable oomph. **/****

DEN OF THIEVES: PANTERA - Almost earnest heist pic gives off HEAT notes while Gerard Butler tries on a version of Mel Gibson. Slow burn, knockout final 30 minutes, a lot of smoking. ***/****

David Lynch was a guy who could do just about anything in the art realm - write, paint, music, design - who also, for 20 years, had just the most interesting catalogue of any filmmaker. It didn't all work, but it all *provoked* something in you.

CARRY ON - Evil, tedious Jason Bateman tries to smuggle this weird, organ-liquidating bomb onto a plane by manipulating a TSA agent, but the best scene is a spectacular fistfight inside a car going 60, certain to crash. Watch that on YouTube. **/****

RED ONE - I'm trying to imagine screenwriter Chris Morgan - who helped revive the Fast & Furious series - conjuring up all the mind-numbing plot that goes into this Christmas movie about a bureaucratic North Pole and what amounts to a hacker of Santa's mainframe. Lord, help us. */****

CONCLAVE - Handsomely made and impeccably acted while it moves toward an ending that cheats the viewer's opportunity to watch the lead character wrestle with a revelation. I get the movie wants to Make A Point. It does so with plot over character. ***/****

BABYGIRL (spoiler) - Ludicrous fantasy in which a tech CEO's passionless marriage to a theater director is somehow redeemed through rank stupidity and transgression. It's the play at prestige that's insulting. */****

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN - Cliffs notes-style Bob Dylan drama about the opaque, contrarian, brilliant artist refusing the easy, politically-minded box preferred by folk singers for his version of raisin hell. You won't learn much, but dir. James Mangold frames up the high points. ***/****

THE THING - Top-shelf gross out alien invasion pic that works as an unfolding mystery whose answer - and here's the genius part - amounts to a snow drift of beans. The blood testing scene hits on every level imaginable - suspense, horror, humor. Shoddy pacing. So what. ***/****

JOKER FOLIE A DEUX - Joyless, preachy sequel of director Todd Phillips "holding up a mirror" while Joaquin Phoenix tries on accents - including a Foghorn Leghorn drawl - and Gaga's eyes turn baleful. JFC guys, we get it. */****

Huge missed opportunity to call this movie, Seinfeld style, PONCE DE LEON.

AMERICAN PSYCHO - Peaks early (opening 30 mins) but is surprisingly feted these days compared to FIGHT CLUB, in part b/c Christian Bale plays his role smug, for knowing laughs, and thus the violence, grisly tho it is, seems "in his mind." It's not what the filmmakers intended at the time. **/****

METROPOLITAN - Watched again. Lovely comedy of manners about 1980s coming of age "debutante" parties in NYC, and a amiable dolt's good fortune that 1 of the 2 decent people in their little pack genuinely likes him. (The other decent one, if you're really paying attention, is the jerk.) ****/****

HIS THREE DAUGHTERS (now on Netflix) about three sisters (Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon) tending to their dying dad, simmers for an hour before really going somewhere. Lyonne too typecast as quirky, but strong perfs, good writing, powerful close. ***/****

I love old film encyclopedias - some of I've picked up along the way, some given to me by kind friends (like Mike Babcock) from as far back as I can get them. The international one is fun. Recaps (as of 1972) cinema in nations all over the world - Japan, Italy, Poland, Russia, USA, etc.

Using this site for all movie/culture/food/art talk. Still on the other site for all the Huskers/sports stuff. Here, just hope to be about all the other things I love! (In some cases, even more than writing about sports.)