As a lifelong baseball fan, anytime a filmmaker uses the game as a backdrop for a good story I'm more or less sold immediately. Chapman Way and Maclain Way's The Battered Bastards of Baseball was one of my favorite films of 2014 for beautifully meeting the above criteria. While today's recommendation may fall a little short of that standard, director Jeff Radice's No No: A Dockumentary should still be considered mandatory viewing for baseball fans who just also happen to be Netflix subscribers.

Premiering at Sundance in 2014, No No: A Dockumentary chronicles the life of major league pitcher Dock Ellis. The All-Star and World Series champion spent a majority of his 11-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and is most widely known for claiming to have no-hit the Padres in 1970 while under the influence of LSD. While Radice's film discusses Ellis' famous outing, its emotional center lies in a willingness to candidly address the pitcher's battle with substance abuse. Ellis was both an addict and a leader in the advancement of players' rights. A broken individual and yet a beloved teammate and friend. The film shows Ellis in all of these lights and, in doing so, comes across as a genuine portrait of a man who devoted the latter part of his life to helping others learn from his own mistakes.

This week's recommendation in hand, let's get to our Top 5 list:

D23 Expo Coverage

Disney markets its annual D23 Expo as the "ultimate Disney fan event" and, based on the amount of coverage we were able to glean from the three-day affair, I'd say that's a pretty accurate description. You can click here to browse all of our coverage from the Anaheim Convention Center or check out some of my personal favorite posts such as: Star Wars: The Force Awakens' current runtime revealed, J.J. Abrams discusses the film and more, and over 80 images from the Disneyland exhibit showcasing 60 years of park history.

George Miller Directing Man of Steel Sequel?

We're without official confirmation from Warner Bros. for now, but my heart skipped a beat yesterday with the rumor that George Miller is set to helm Man of Steel 2 for the studio. I've mentioned before how leery I am of DC's attempt at their own cinematic universe, but Miller directing an entry would instantly change my outlook. Check out the last couple minutes of the video above to hear Miller talk with Steve about his affinity for DC Comics and feel free to join me in reading too much into it.

American Ultra Coverage

I've yet to watch American Ultra, but I loved Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in Greg Mottola's Adventureland. Based on that pairing alone, I'll give Ultra every opportunity to earn a place in my heart. If you have a similar affinity for seeing these leads together again, you'll likely take an interest in Matt's review and Steve's video interview in which Eisenberg and Stewart discuss the palpable chemistry they share on screen.

Best Spy Movies of the 21st Century So Far

If spy movies are your thing then there's a great chance that our list of the "Best Spy Movies of the 21st Century So Far" won't tell you anything that you don't already know. That said, it does present you with a great opportunity to discuss what you agree and disagree with in the comments.

If spy movies aren't traditionally your thing but you're suddenly finding yourself in the mood for some cinematic espionage, then our list should give you a great starting point for some recent genre gems. Either way, the fact that checking out our list is a good idea is the point I'm trying to make.

First The Witch Trailer

A24 Films released the first trailer for writer/director Robert Eggers' horror pic The Witch earlier this week and it looks creepy as hell. Eggers was awarded Best Director at Sundance 2015 for his work on the film and Adam reviewed the pic at the festival calling it "not only an incredibly crafted horror film, it's a good movie period". There's no release date as of yet, but this one is absolutely among my most anticipated for 2016.