Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

Bugs’ Sahara Tale

A-Rod and not Me

An animated film called Henry and Me is in the final stages for the NYYankees. It stars the voices of many of the star-studded team, but changes may be underfoot. Given the negative press Alexander Rodgriguez has brought to his off-the-field drug use, it looks like the producers are going to can his voice over.

The embattled Yankee third baseman, who voices the animated version of himself in the children’s film “Henry & Me,” will likely find his character on the cutting-room floor because of his involvement in one of baseball’s biggest drug scandals.
The film’s investors will “make a move to get another character” to replace Rodriguez’s, according to executive producer Ray Negron, a long-time adviser to the Yankees, although “they still haven’t pulled the plug yet.”

During a screening of “Henry & Me” in midtown Wednesday, Rodriguez’s character was still part of the film and its narrative — which chronicles the moving journey of a young boy named Jack, who is battling cancer and who ends up meeting many of the Yankees’ legendary players, as well as the late owner, George Steinbrenner.

Rodriguez comes up to bat during a crucial sequence — sound familiar? — and needs a clutch hit to send the Bombers into the playoffs. The film is based upon Negron’s children’s books. “Win or lose, kid, these are the opportunities we live for,” A-Rod says to Jack before his at-bat.

Rodriguez’s character later visits Jack in the hospital while he is recovering from cancer treatment. The final version of the film will edit out the animated Alex Rodriguez. But despite the animated A-Rod’s positive message and actions during the film, in reality Rodriguez is enmeshed in a performance-enhancing drug scandal, one that has resulted in a 211-game suspension by Major League Baseball. Rodriguez has appealed, and is playing for the
Yankees as the process unfolds.

The “Henry & Me” investors are concerned with Rodriguez’s off-field woes impacting the marketability and image of the film for his character to remain.

This week, like most weeks, I saw a number of movies. Most of them in the video format, one film on the big screen.

The film I saw on the big screen, Thursday evening, was Elysium. The film stars Matt Damon, who I have to tell you, has become one of my favorite screen actors. He’s usually convincing in all those run movie/movie parts he takes. He’s a thinking actor and looks brilliant in films like the Bourne series – which he well keeps alive even turning them down. His best films are the thinking films, the small ones that have something to say like his last, Promised Land, a film that narrows in on the problems of gas production, fracking and all. One really leaves the theater discussing the problem Damon wants to present.

But then there’s Elysium. This is a film about the future where there are the haves and the have nots, those who fight for their daily existence while the others fight to keep the average Joes from their sightlines. No real discussion of real problems. The director, Neill Blomkamp, is a South African who gave us the unpleasant futuristic=Alien movie. called District Nine. I hated the first, but only disliked the second film I’d seen by him. (Damon had to have added something.)

But the problem, to me, is something happening to a lot of big budget films. You don’t care about any of the characters on the screen, who don’t seem to really care about each other. I mean, why would we be interested in characters that don’t interrelatel they move at super sonic speeds trying to kill each other. It’s just so exhausting, and makes it difficult to sit there through two hours of noise. You gotta care.

The film I saw on tv – a copy too contrasty on AMC, too many repetitive commercials and about the 12th time I’ve seen the movie – was The Godfather Part 1.

You know, there’s nothing else to say. I just can’t understand why they’ve stopped making films like this – about people (admittedly artificial characters), people you can relate to. They may be thugs and killers and black sheep and awfully artificial with cotton in their mouths, but believe it or not, you can believe them – the characters. It’s story telling of the most basic type, uet it’s ignored for billion dollar chases in robo suits with synthetic music bombarding the annoying soundtrack. I know, it must be that I’m getting old.

I do have to start thinking about what films I’m going to view.

The one to see this year is Blue Jasmine. Now that’s great storytelling. I’ve seen it and plan to see it again next week. Great performances, great characters, great everything else. We go into the heart of Tennessee Williams and deconstruct his great play before realizing we’ve also reconstructed it for the cynical days of now. A great movie that gets to your heart.