Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog passes away at 92

Whitey Herzog, whose keen eye for talent evaluation and unique creativity in building baseball rosters led to a Hall of Fame MLB managing career, died on Tuesday. He was 92 years old. Herzog won World Series titles in 1969 and 1982 -- first, with the Mets as a farm system director and, later, as the dynamic manager of the speed-driven Cardinals. Like with the Mets, when his fingerprints were all over the franchise’s first crown in 1969, Herzog reimagined the Cardinals into a team built around speed, defense and a strong bullpen with a series of player acquisitions. A roster recreated by Herzog’s moves -- his deals involved 22 players during the 1980 Winter Meetings -- would ultimately win the World Series in 1982 and capture two more pennants for the Cardinals in ’85 and ’87.

Mississippi Mermaid (1969) **

Overlong, meandering flick starts off as a Vertigo-like mystery and ends up as a fable about how love hurts. Cat Deneuve is always watchable.

Gideon's Day (1958) ***

Well photographed by the great Freddie Young, this is a preposterous but entertaining look at a particularly busy day for a Brit detective.

The Two-Headed Spy (1958) ***

Top-notch spy thriller with an intelligent, taut script and perfect casting. Jack Hawkins shows he can carry a film.

Phase IV (1974) **

Intelligent sci-fi update of Them! includes A LOT of micro-footage of ants who, although perfectly cast, are just not up to the same level as the human cast. Nifty surreal ending.

Lord Jim (1965) *

Earnest, sincere effort, well crafted but too long and repetitive.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) ***

Bowie is perfect and perfectly cast in Nic Roeg's typically disjointed and say-it-with-visuals-only stylized sci-fi flick. It needs to be trimmed by about 30 minutes or it would have been a classic.

Fire Over England (1937) ***

History as only Hollywood can do it, which means heavy handed Brit propaganda. Ms. Robson is so good though and the script has some dazzling moments.