Blog Archives
The Search is Over
(Entertainment Weekly)
There he is!
That makes total sense for fans of the powerful 1993 movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer, which was based on the true story of a young prodigy’s pursuit towards reaching the chess status of the legendary player. The poster above is Tobey Maguire, who will be portraying the chess champion in the film, Pawn Sacrifice. The movie is due out in September of this year.
Even without a trailer, this poster alone will likely spark quite a bit of buzz because of the naturally intriguing enigma of chess and, perhaps, the equally enigmatic mind of a master chess player. As is custom with anyone considered a genius (no matter the profession), people are captivated to understand how and why these individuals think the way they do.
Bobby Fischer is no exception.
Pawn Sacrifice will have a couple hours to reach an entertaining checkmate with the audience.
Hopefully, the movie makes the right gambit.
Strength in the Unknown
Christmas and New Years in Ohio is a bit unusual…for me, anyways.
For around 20 years, my family would travel abroad and vacation for about 2 weeks in incredible destinations overseas. The locations were breathtakingly wonderful and unforgettable. The memories I have from these trips made an impression on me that have been defining, to say the least. However (as explained in a previous blog post), marriages and children halted the “Lentz 5” adventures and instead created new family vacation traditions. Still, there is a one spot that will always generate a unique and special remembrance: Thailand.
Back in 2004, a tsunami devastated Thailand, as well as surrounding areas bordered by the Indian Ocean. It was a natural disaster of epic proportions. Hell on Earth. Yet, people (tourists and locals alike) rallied together to survive, for themselves and complete strangers. These powerfully amazing acts of kindness and heroism have resonated with me because that tsunami very easily could have hit a resort like the ones we’ve stayed at in areas practically identical to the one featured in the 2013 movie, The Impossible. This film is all too real when it comes to the beautiful beaches and land of Thailand and generosity of the Thai people and fellow vacationers. I recommend people see it, but there are some difficult scenes to watch, just as an FYI. And as actress Naomi Watts has said, the events in the movie are stunningly accurate. This is because the family at the center of the film really experienced what is shown in the movie.
This time of year reminds me of my epic family trips (like Thailand), the Christmas spirit and the hope and magnanimity from people all around the world in anticipation for the new year. The Impossible, despite its devastatingly raw realities, needed to be made. And, thankfully, it was.
Don’t simply think of the impossible, but find a way to be the impossible to yourself and others.
Top of the Second
“As a celebration of the magic of movies involving baseball, at least one scene from a different film will be posted each day for the next nine days…”
—From “Top of the First” March 28th
In the game of baseball, there are teams that can afford to peruse through a catalog of players, glaze over their hitting percentages and “big name” status and then call them up with a single offer that would make them potentially the biggest fools on the planet if they were to reject the contract. In other words, money plays.
But what if there was a team that thought differently? What if a manager and his Ivy League educated assistant used statistics and mathematical equations to evaluate talent to determine the best value in players who would inevitably score x runs, strikeout y hitters and ultimately win z games?
And more incredibly, what if this was based on a true story involving the Oakland A’s?
“Bottom of the First” showed us how math had to be used to get the Minnesota Twins, of “Little Big League,” into the game. The first scene (and a bonus scene!) from “Moneyball” shows us the genesis of deciding to utilize statistics and math to win the game.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 