Half Nelson

I was interested in seeing Sugar for a few reasons. Knowing that the folks behind it are the same filmmaking duo that gave us Half Nelson, I was pretty sure this wouldn't be an ordinary, feel-good sports movie. And the focus of the story only further intrigued me: Minor-league training camps in the Dominican Republic that churn out baseball players with the efficiency (and emotional investment) of a factory.

This baseball premise is a pretty ingenious way to portray the immigrant experience in America. Few things are more all-American than this long-held pastime, and it's not hard to draw parallels between the triumph of a home run (or striking someone out) and achieving one's dreams in the land of the free. That's why it's so gut-wrenching when a young man, full of optimism and athletic potential, is shipped off to America only to find that the shimmery promise of baseball is complicated at best and pure myth at worst. To see what else is unique about this intelligent movie, read more

I tend to be a little wary of good books being turned into movies, but I'm excited about the news that author Marisha Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics will be adapted for the big screen.

As I said when I reviewed it last year, Special Topics is a sprawling, 500-page behemoth that tends to get a little too wrapped up in its own quirkiness. Making it a film would almost require ditching some of the clunky descriptions and over-my-head literary references, reducing the novel to the most basic elements of its story: a teenager who's too smart for her own good tries to a) fit in with a cool high school crowd, b) solve the mystery of her favorite teacher's death, and c) understand her own vagabond childhood. Sure, that would take away some of the book's unique charms, but it would also simplify and focus it on the strongest parts of the story. And really, I'm OK with ditching Blue's pen-and-ink drawings.

I also have confidence in the team behind the adaptation: Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, who were responsible for Half Nelson. They'll be co-writing the adaptation, and Fleck will direct it, the same setup that worked so well for Half Nelson.

Now, the biggest challenge will be to find the perfect girl to play Blue. Jena Malone still looks like a high schooler, right?

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