Flick Pick

Michael Wranovics's well-meant documentary Up for Grabs, about the absurd legal battle over the ownership of the baseball Barry Bonds hit for his season-record 73rd home run back in 2001, is instantly overshadowed by other events: the steroids scandal, the allegations of Bonds's apparent mistress, the possibility that his career...

By Bill Gallo

June 16, 2005

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Michael Wranovics's well-meant documentary Up for Grabs, about the absurd legal battle over the ownership of the baseball Barry Bonds hit for his season-record 73rd home run back in 2001, is instantly overshadowed by other events: the steroids scandal, the allegations of Bonds's apparent mistress, the possibility that his career may be over at age forty. Bad luck for the filmmaker, and for us. Still, as another exposé of stubbornness, petty opportunism and greed, there's some residual value in the story of two unappealing characters, Alex Popov and Patrick Hayashi, who fought for almost two years over Bonds's number 73. In the end, it sold at auction for "only" $450,000, and might not bring that much now: Given the player's link to the steroids scandal, the buyer might now feel obligated to get out his Sharpie and mark the thing with a big, fat black asterisk. Screenings are at 4:45 and 7:15 p.m. daily, Friday, June 17, through Thursday, June 23, at Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli on the Auraria campus. Call-303-820-FILM.

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