Any movie that makes villains out of the New York Yankees is good in my book.

“Moneyball” is about much more than baseball, though the central premise is excellent movie fodder: A small-market baseball team finds a unique way to compete against the high-payroll juggernauts of the league.  Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) does this by finding undervalued players with a single important statistic: How often they get on base.

Much like last year’s computer programming opus, “The Social Network,” the human drama in “Moneyball” far outweighs the narrow subject matter of intentional walks and infield singles. (more…)

The moody, violent “Drive” begins with the best single sequence on film in 2011. Ryan Gosling plays an unnamed driver for hire on what is, for him, a routine evening of evading police helicopters and squad cars.

This isn’t a fast cutting car chase out of the “Bourne” franchise. The Driver takes the most logical route, and takes only the amount of turns necessary to avoid capture. There are no crazy stunts because a good driver wouldn’t need them.

“Drive” features three distinct car sequences, but it shouldn’t be classified as a “car chase movie.” This is classic noir territory, with Gosling’s Driver trapped between the girl next door, a heist gone wrong and a couple of ruthless gangsters. (more…)

After a summer of sequels and 3D adventures, fall is finally here and moviegoers will be treated to… more sequels and 3D adventures.

Continuing franchises include “Sherlock Holmes,” “Mission: Impossible” and yet another “Alvin and the Chipmunks” nightmare, and everybody and their dog is experimenting with 3D technology, including directing greats like Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”) and Steven Spielberg (“The Adventures of Tintin”).

Fortunately, the fall season also means an assortment of prestige films and festival darlings, all hoping to cash in on Oscar gold. The following season preview highlights each promising entry with a handy asterisk.

That isn’t to say you won’t also enjoy entries like “Piranha 3DD” or “Paranormal Activity 3.” Remember, they make these sequels because you asked for them with your wallet. (more…)