"My Father's Game,' by Rick Wilber

Rick Wilber’s perceptive memoir of his father, his family and himself is also a book about the mythology of baseball. Del Wilber never lost the aura of entitlement that America accords a big league ballplayer, however modestly gifted.

My Father’s Game: Life, Death, Baseball. By Rick Wilber. McFarland & Co., 2008. 214 pages. $29.95. www.amazon.com.

Robert Zaller

Apr 19, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

To Shelby Steele, about Obama

Obama’s candidacy felt like such a relief from being a racist pig. Damn, I’m 66 and I’m ready to put that burden down. Now I wonder if I’m drinking too much Kool-Aid.

A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win By Shelby Steele. 160 pages. Free Press, $22.00. www.amazon.com.

Reed Stevens

Feb 02, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

"There Will Be Blood'

Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood demonstrates what happens when Life’s Little Pieties fail to measure up. Whatever it is that makes humans human, the protagonist Daniel Plainview lacks. Neither wealth nor good works will solve that problem.

There Will Be Blood. A film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.ritzfilmbill.com.

Andrew Mangravite

Jan 15, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Charlie Wilson's War'

Can people with conflicting agendas and personalities ever work together for a common goal? Charlie Wilson’s War leaves you hopeful that they can.

Charlie Wilson’s War. A film by Mike Nichols; screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Based on the book by George Crile. www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/fullcredits

Richard Chaitt

Dec 25, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

Jason Reitman's "Juno'

Director Jason Reitman, who gave us Thank You For Smoking, is at it again, with a quirky comedy about a pregnant teenager that refuses to follow predictable paths.

Juno. A film directed by Jason Reitman. Opens December 14, 2007 at Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts., and Showcsae at the Ritz, New Jersey. www.ritzfilmbill.com.

Richard Chaitt

Dec 04, 2007 · Articles · 1 minute read

Three new neo-noir films

Three stylish neo-noir films set in the recent American past reflect our current predicament in Iraq, partly by looking back.

American Gangster. Film directed by Ridley Scott.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Film directed by Sidney Lume

Robert Zaller

Nov 27, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

Michael Moore's "Sicko'

Michael Moore is quite deliberately deficient in neutrality, balance and objectivity. But in a country where satire has become almost the only means to tell the truth, his voice is invaluable.

Sicko. A film by Michael Moore.

Robert Zaller

Aug 18, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

The Bourne Redundancy

Where does Bourne go from here? As it happens, I’ve obtained a secret copy of the next Bourne sequel, The Bourne EOB. That’s right: The Bourne Explanation of Benefits.

The Bourne Ultimatum. A film directed by Paul Greengrass, with Matt Damon. www.thebourneultimatum.com.

Armen Pandola

Aug 14, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

"La Vie en Rose' (second review)

The greatest thing about Edith Piaf was her music, which gets short shrift in this film.

La Vie en Rose. Film directed by Olivier Dahan, with Marion Cotillard. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.ritztheaters.com.

Richard Chaitt

Aug 04, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

I feel bad about Nora Ephron

Ephron’s last book relies on schtick, reads like she wrote it over a weekend and reveals her to be, after all, just another foolish, wealthy 65-year-old Manhattanite who wishes she could turn back the clock and look young again.

I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman. By Nora Ephron. Knopf. 160 pages; $21.95.

Joy Tomme

Jul 14, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read