The
Phenom (2016/RLJ Entertainment Blu-ray)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C+
Just
as Hopper (Johnny Simmons) makes the major league baseball, he has
mental breakdown and can no longer pitch. He goes sees a sports
therapist who helps him look at his past to see and remember how he
became a pitcher and if he can find what he lost to return to the
game in Noah Buschel's The Phenom (2016).
Ever
since Hopper was in high school, he was the rising star of the
baseball team potential rookie for the major league baseball. He
could throw an (almost) 100-mile-per-hour fastball with his golden
arm, score with any girl he wants, and teachers had to give him a
passing grade no matter if he passed or not (since he has a million
dollar contract), but he finally cracks under the stress and pressure
from his abusive father (who was also an ex-major league baseball
player drop out) and he has 'daddy issues'. He blames everyone else
for not understanding HIM and how THEY should be accommodating HIM
because he is a sport superstar and his problems are more important.
This
was like a movie about the stress of sports stars and it was more
about drama than the game itself (also the actors weren't very good
at sports). At some point when the sport becomes more like a job and
players care more about money than playing for the game, it becomes a
business. The movie does not create any sympathy for the main
character or sport superstars, instead paints them as egotistic
bastards who are green eye monsters. It just seems sad when people
forget the spirit of the game. Paul Giamatti and Ethan Hawke also
star.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital high Definition image and DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1 lossless track are both mixed bags, inconsistent like the
film itself and its script. We get motion blur and so-so camerawork,
while the soundfield is not always consistent. Extras include
interview with the cast and photo gallery.
-
Ricky Chiang
