January 11, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • Page 19 ‘Moneyball’ is a study of baseball by the numbers by Dennis Seuling “Moneyball” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) is the story of the Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and his then unheard of policy of relying on cold statistics to acquire players who could score runs. With a budget that prevented the team from snagging acknowledged top talent and competing with the deep pockets of the Yankees and Red Sox organizations, Beane teams up with the Harvard-educated economist Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) to rebuild the club and make it competitive. This is an unusual baseball movie since most of it takes place off the field and images of actual play do not dominate. The performances are terrific, from Pitt’s rebellious Beane, bucking the accumulated wisdom of his scouts who rely on their instincts and the age and physical condition of players, to Jonah Hill, who departs from his goofy sidekick roles to take on an actual, believable character. The scenes between Pitt and Hill are especially enjoyable. They have great chemistry. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays team manager Art Howe, a man who clearly draws a line in the sand when it comes to game strategy and has little love or respect for Beane. Sports films always face the problem of appealing to a wide audience, and casting Pitt in the lead role is certainly one way to lick the problem. The script by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin takes viewers into the offices of a midlevel major league baseball team, underscoring the tensions, resentments, disappointments, and resistance to new ideas. Those who think baseball is only a game will see that it is big business predicated on taking chances on players who are undervalued, past their prime, or injured. A few scenes show Billy with his daughter (Kerris Brad Pitt stars as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane in ‘Moneyball.’ Dorsey) and ex-wife (Robin Wright), but they are incidental. The movie really percolates when Billy works the phone with another general manager, trying to make the most advantageous deal, or when he has to move ahead with a method of team building that is contrary to the status quo. “Moneyball” is available in a two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Extras include a blooper reel and featurettes on the real Billy Beane, drafting the team, playing the game, and adapting the original book into film. The movie is also available in single-disc Blu-ray and DVD editions. “Contagion” (Warner Home Video) is a stark, realistic look at what happens when a new killer virus is discovered and the worldwide health and medical community rush to combat the disease before it takes an incomprehensible toll on human life. Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon) has just welcomed his wife, Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow), back from a business trip to Hong Kong. She is feverish and weak, but these symptoms of flu turn out to signal something far more dangerous. Other victims of this unknown affliction surface, word spreads, and Drs. Ellis Cheaver (Laurence Fishburne) and Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) of the Centers for Disease Control brainstorm to figure out the source of the virus. Mears is hastily sent into the field to gather information while other researchers amp up their efforts to isolate the virus and develop a vaccine. Among them are independent biologist Dr. Ian Sussman (Elliott Gould) and CDC Dr. Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle). “Contagion” provides a credible look at what might happen if such a health threat came to pass, and has an almost documentary feel as multiple aspects of the story unfold in parallel time while locations shift from city to city and country to country. The characters are well drawn, and real people act heroically without making a big deal of it. Despite its fine performances, the movie plays on a single emotional and dramatic note. It moves along, unhurried and deliberate, as director Steven Soderbergh portrays a tense but generally disciplined populace. “Contagion” provides a thoughtful spin on the Hollywood disaster film. Though the formula is borrowed from many ‘70s blockbusters, “Contagion” is far more reflective. The two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack contains a digital copy, a mini-documentary of how a virus changes the world, and two featurettes. The movie is also available in single-disc Blu-ray and DVD editions. “Shark Night” (20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment) (continued on Crossword page)