MONEYBALL (Rated PG-13)

You don’t have to love baseball to enjoy the captivating story, the great dialogue and the well-developed characters in “Moneyball,” though it likely helps.

Baseball purists may object to certain liberties taken with factual accounts of the Oakland Athletics 2002 season. But that’s of no concern here.

The film is based on Michael Lewis’ nonfiction book “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game,” which extolled cash-poor Oakland’s ability to compete with rich, big-market teams.

In certain respects, “Moneyball” is a Cinderella story set on a nicely trimmed field of dreams, except that baseball fans know that Oakland hasn’t won a World Series since the showdown with the Giants during the 1989 earthquake.

The story of hope is fueled by Oakland’s General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), a free thinker not constrained by the conventional wisdom of baseball.

After the witnessing the failure of his team to beat the Yankees in a 2001 playoff series, Beane takes it upon himself to develop new strategies.

Prior to the start of the 2002 season, on a trip to visit his counterpart at the Cleveland Indians to discuss trade options, Beane meets nerdy young assistant Peter Brand (Jonah Hill).

Beane is impressed by Brand’s mastery of numbers and a method of statistical analysis known as sabermetrics to determine which players are undervalued.

With Oakland’s inability to keep star players like Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen, Beane realizes he must approach the game from a different angle.

Some of the film’s most amusing dialogue occurs when Beane introduces Brand to a roomful of grizzled, aging scouts who only value gut feelings and information about the players’ personal lives to judge their baseball potential.

The Yale-educated Brand, with a degree in economics, is dismissed out-of-hand by the old-timers when he suggests that on-base and slugging percentages are determinative of a player’s ultimate performance.

The early stages of the baseball season are not very promising, starting with an effort to convert ailing catcher Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt) into a first baseman.

Even if you can’t root for the Athletics, the true baseball fan will ache when the team struggles to get its footing, falling behind in its division.

However, you can root for Billy Beane and his young protégé as they cope with the doubters in their own organization, including the grizzled manager Art Howe (a superbly crusty Philip Seymour Hoffman) who despises the math-driven method of playing ball.

For a movie about baseball, most of the action takes place off the field. Primarily, it’s about the brilliant dialogue and attempts for Beane to find redemption.

“Moneyball” is, at its core, focused on Beane’s checkered history with the game and his desire to fulfill a dream that eluded him during his playing career.

Flashbacks to Beane’s youth, when he was scouted by the New York Mets, tell a story of a young man’s wish to excel at the game even though he was wrongly overvalued as a potential player.

That Beane did not rise to the level of expectations that were held for his career as a player is a motivation for his yearning to manage his way into a contender.

Never fear that talk about statistics and players’ skills dulls the story into a dreadful morass that could only entertain the devotees of statistician Bill James.

Dealing with the intransigence of his team manager Art Howe, Beane is nonetheless confident in his approach. Part of the fun is watching him maneuver around the game’s dinosaurs.

Any sports movie requires the feel-good moments that define the genre. That comes with the incredible game-winning streak late in the 2002 season, when the Athletics set the AL record for winning 20 straight.

Winning is not the only thing, though. The story also triumphs when Beane finds washed-up or undervalued players who surprise the baseball world by their forgotten talent.

Another terrific aspect to “Moneyball” is the pleasing relationship that Beane, a divorced father, has with his young daughter Casey (Kerris Dorsey).

In baseball parlance, “Moneyball” hits a grand slam, the highest score you can obtain in one at-bat. Not just a great baseball movie, this is a winner for story, character and dialogue – all things that should matter.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Fans of “Hawaii Five-0” are set for a double treat. The “Eleventh Season” of the venerable crime series, nicely filmed on location, has just been released on DVD.

Much like Jack Lord’s rendering of the upright Steve McGarrett, the DVD release of the old series is a no-frills edition. The only special thing about it is that all 21 episodes are available.

Nearly timed with the start of the second season of the new “Hawaii Five-0” is the DVD release of its “First Season.”

The modern version of “Hawaii Five-O” has a hip take on the old classic series. The buff Alex O’Loughlin now stars as Detective McGarrett, a hotshot Naval officer-turned-cop.

The new “Hawaii Five-0” proved to be a big hit last season, and now all 24 sizzling episodes are available on DVD, along with a bunch of special features and deleted scenes.

Watching the “First Season” will be essential if you want to catch up on the explosive action of the hot new series.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Liebe will demonstrate the process and each participant will paint and take home a hand-painted silk scarf or bandanna.

Class dates and time are Sunday, Sept. 18, 1 p.m. 2:30 p.m., and/or Sunday, Sept. 25, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Materials fee is $10 for a bandanna and $15 for a scarf. Class space is limited to 10 persons each class – sign up now by calling Susan at 707-293-8752 or visiting Lake County Wine Studio.

Liebe is the artist on show at LCWS for the month of September with both watercolor paintings and hand-painted and dyed clothing on display.

A former art teacher at both the high school and college levels, Liebe has been very involved in the Lake County Arts community since moving here from Mendocino County seven years ago.

The Wine Studio is located on the corner of First and Main Street in Historic Upper Lake across from the famous Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon & Café.

Regular hours are 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday.

STRAW DOGS (Rated R)

Sam Peckinpah’s controversial 1971 film “Straw Dogs” captured the scary intensity of a story about shocking violence and the exploration of the darkest human behavior.

Now director and screenwriter Rod Lurie updates Peckinpah’s tale of psychological terror by moving its setting from rural England to a small town in the Deep South.

This review will skip the comparisons with the original because the Peckinpah classic is 40 years old and today’s audience is not likely familiar with it anyway.

The setting of Blackwater, Mississippi is not the bucolic paradise that it appears to be at first glance. It’s immediately obvious that the central figure is a fish-out-of-water.

David Sumner (James Marsden), a bespectacled Hollywood screenwriter, and his actress wife Amy (Kate Bosworth) move to her small hometown in the South after her father’s death.

David’s first visit to Blackie’s bar should have been enough of a clue to this Harvard-educated country club sort of intellectual that he was entering hostile territory.

But to make matters worse, David seemingly thinks it is a good idea to hire Amy’s former boyfriend Charlie (Alexander Skarsgard) and his crew of redneck hillbillies to perform construction work on their dilapidated barn.

David and Amy take up residence in the sturdy family farmhouse. He views it as the perfect place to work on his screenplay about the pivotal Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.

While the locals mostly drive pickups and standard American sedans, David rides around in his vintage Jaguar convertible, as if he were on his way to lunch at the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel.

David is something of a squish that smiles softly and tries too hard to be engaging, but comes across as a wimpy nerd. His effete attitude shines through when he tries to order a Bud Light in the midst of a hard-drinking crowd.

On the other hand, David’s wife, having once been the town’s beauty queen and prominent cheerleader, slips back into being the hometown celebrity, even if her old friends are jealous.

But Amy has enough good sense to insist that they drive her father’s old car instead of the Jaguar when attending to the town’s Friday night football game ritual.

Meanwhile, tensions build in the Sumner marriage and old conflicts re-emerge with the locals, notably when Charlie brings a primal menace to the jobsite, leering at the sweaty Amy when she goes jogging braless.

The sense of intimidation grows when Charlie and his crew, including former football teammates Bic (Drew Powell), Norman (Rhys Coiro) and Chris (Billy Lush) push the limits of David’s tolerance.

Tension builds slowly at first, as Charlie and the gang annoy David by blasting loud music and flaunting their lackadaisical work ethic, leaving work early to go hunting.

One of the workers has no problem with walking into the Sumner house uninvited, retrieving beers from the refrigerator and then complaining that they are not cold enough.

Meanwhile, a subplot involves former football coach Tom Heddon (James Woods), a violent, angry drunk, who gets absolutely obsessed that his teenage daughter has caught the attention of the mentally challenged Jeremy (Dominic Purcell).

When the coach’s daughter goes missing, Heddon takes the law into his own hands, enlisting Charlie and his boys to help him search for her and setting into motion a series of events that ultimately leads to an explosively violent confrontation.

Leading up to the extremely brutal and violent climactic showdown at the farmhouse, it appears that both David and Amy had made a series of bad decisions that aggravate the situation.

To what purpose does the teasingly sexy Amy decide to suggestively flash Charlie and his crew after taking a shower? It’s red meat thrown to the wolves.

What makes David so obliviously accommodating to Charlie and his buddies that he hires them in the first place and then decides to go hunting with them in the off-season to prove his manhood?

Despite the mistakes made by the Sumners, it is abundantly clear that director/screenwriter Lurie expects the audience to cheer David’s ultimate transformation into fierce protector of his wife and the farmhouse.

The central actors are engaging, complex characters. Though James Woods gives another over-the-top performance, he is something to behold.

“Straw Dogs” may lack the necessary subtlety and nuance, as well as psychological ambiguity, but it delivers the goods on vengeful violence. That may be enough for contemporary filmgoers.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Presented by 94.5 K-Wine, Max 93.5, Mendo Lake Credit Union and Russian River Records, the fourth annual Rising Stars Music Showcase will be held from noon to midnight at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds, 1055 N. State St., Ukiah.

Rising Stars focuses on presenting the often-unheard musical talents of Lake and Mendocino County Musicians in a 12-hour music festival as the musicians perform in support of local nonprofit organizations.

“The musical talent is phenomenal and the community support for this event is outstanding,” said event organizer Mary Chadwick. “This show is a real testament to the talented musicians living in our own communities and their desire to give back to the neighborhoods where they live and work in a huge way.”

Chadwick said that since the event’s inception in 2008, thousands of dollars have been raised for local non-profit organizations.

This year, several nonprofit organizations are participating in the event in hopes of raising community awareness for their organizations.

Nonprofits that will be represented at this 12-hour show are Redwood Children’s Services, Children’s Action Committee, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Mendocino County Aids/Viral Hepatitis Network, Ukiah Lions Youth Football & Cheer, Willits Senior Center, 2BU Clothes Closet, Guitars For Troops and Tapestry.

The musicians are allotted 25-minute sets in which to perform. All back line stage equipment is provided therefore setup is minimal for each performing act.

Musicians are placed in groups according to genre with each act being judged on their own merits of stage performance, musical talent and audience reaction with judges awarding points individually in each category.

Awards are given in each of the categories and overall points winners for first, second and third place overall.

Musicians must adhere to strict guidelines for performance. Besides adhering to the time restraints, they are only allowed to use a limited amount of their own equipment and must keep their performance 100-percent family friendly.

All performing acts agree to these guidelines prior to performance and understand that if a member of their group violates one of the guidelines, the whole group risks disqualification. II Big and last year’s winners, Stand Out State will also be performing this year.

Rising Stars 2011 has a slate of local businesses that have stepped forward to support this event including, Ukiah Daily Journal, Harley Davidson of Ukiah, Reliable Mill Supply, John Johns Sign Co., Super 8 of Ukiah, Yokayo Bowling Center, dig! Music, Vedolla Dance Productions, Schat’s Bakeries & Cafes, Pure Comfort Limousine Services, Classic Security and Event Services, Mendo Mill & Lumber, Jonah’s Jumps, Lyly’s Radiators and S&T Graphics.

The public is encouraged to attend this daylong music festival. All ages are welcomed and entry is a suggested $5 donation with everyone who donates $10 and over receiving a free classic event t-shirt.

All proceeds of this event will go to participating nonprofits.

The schedule of performances can be found on the event’s Web site, www.risingstarscompetition.com.

Submission fees are $10 per poem, and the first prize is $100.

Poems of any length and style may be submitted, and contestants may submit an unlimited number of poems.

The competition ends Sept. 30.

The proceeds from this competition will be used to further the group's mission of improving pollinator habitat, enhancing agritourism, supporting eat local/grow local gardens and fostering sustainable biomass energy production.

In addition, the funds will be used for the new initiative Cultivating Commerce which will provide entrepreneur support for business start-up or expansion in agricultural and natural resource areas.

The council is a nonprofit organization serving Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, and Marin counties.

Founded as a grassroots organization in 2003 to support sustainable agriculture and resource use, the council has worked on local projects ranging from constructing rainwater collection systems at local schools – including the catchment tank for the Fort Bragg High School Learning Garden rainwater collection system – and funding a pollinator planting at Salmon Creek School in Occidental, with native species for pollinator use.

The council has held educational workshops throughout Sonoma and Lake counties with landowners to increase pollinator habitat, help create and expand community gardens, educate landowners to prevent the spread of sudden oak disease, prepare detailed feasibility studies for biomass-to-energy production in Fort Bragg and the Mendocino County area, and has conducted workshops with ranchers and farmers interested in adding an agritourism element to their operations.

Complete contest rules can be found at www.cultivatingcommerce.org.