Posts with tag the natural
Stars in Rewind: You Call That Pitching?
Filed under: Fandom », Trailers and Clips », Stars in Rewind »
Though baseball season officially began last night, the season really gets underway today (and my Yanks are already in a rain delay!). So in honor of watching baseball for the next seven months, we're going to do something a little different here. Usually, these Stars in Rewind posts center on a particular actor in an old role or what have you. Today, we're celebrating an entire film. Here's where you probably expect a scene from a legendary baseball film like Eight Men Out, Bull Durham, The Natural, The Pride of the Yankees or The Benchwarmers. Oh no. Not this time. Instead, I've decided to go with a baseball flick I've seen over 30 times. One of the greatest films in the history of cinema. A classic. A gem.
The Sandlot. Oh yes. A ragtag group of neighborhood kids band together to try to save a baseball that was signed by Babe Ruth from a hidden monster behind a fence. But that's just the logline; there's so much more to love about this film -- like the friendships, the jokes, the characters and the way it brings back our own memories of what it was like to be a kid looking for some summertime trouble. Enjoy. Go Yanks!
Discuss: Movies that Make Guys Cry
Filed under: Lists »
Over at Hollywood Elsewhere, Jeff Wells goes off on an eHarmony article about movies that make guys cry, specifically for including Love Actually, which Wells calls "repulsive." Leaving aside for the moment the more pressing question of why Wells happened upon an article on eHarmony to begin with, the list actually does include a few films that are definite tearjerkers, but some of them are over-the-top obvious -- Brian's Song, The Natural, Rudy, The Pride of the Yankees, Rocky (Seriously? Who cries at Rocky?) and Old Yeller, the most stereotypical "it's okay for guys to cry over this one" film ever. The list loses some credibility points with me for including sapfests like Love Actually and Terms of Endearment, but overlooking Once -- when they play "Falling Slowly" for the first time, I bawl my eyes out -- but moderately redeems itself with the inclusion of Schindler's List, To Kill a Mockingbird, and my all-time fave cry-your-eyeballs-out flick, The Iron Giant. I guess it's true (however much it may be a stereotype) that guys and chicks are moved to tears over different things.
The 25 Best Sports Movies of All Time
Filed under: Sports », Hold the 'Fone »
When it comes to sports movies, it's nearly impossible to compare, say, Caddyshack and Rocky. One's a comedy about a golf tournament featuring a demented groundskeeper who talks to gophers; the other's a stirring boxing drama about the triumph of the scrappy underdog. Apples and oranges, right? Golf balls and boxing gloves -- Bill Murray vs. Sylvester Stallone. (I'm pretty sure I know who would win that fight.)
But we at Moviefone are nothing if not courageous (or stupid), so we threw caution to the wind and picked -- and then ranked -- the 25 best sports movies of all time. This was not, I assure you, an easy task. Things were said. Gauntlets were thrown. Heartfelt arguments were offered up as to why Major League is an honest-to-God classic. At one point I thought my colleague Kevin was going to go all Russell Crowe on my ass if we didn't include Cinderella Man on our list ... and don't get me started on our Raging Bull vs. Rocky showdown.
When the dust had settled, we had a list of 25 sports movies we felt were truly great. Of course, there's many a terrific movie we had to leave off -- but that's where the fun begins. Take a look and then let us know: How do you feel about our No. 1 choice? Which of our picks do you agree with, and which ones are you outraged we didn't include? So let the games begin, and remember: Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes ... it rains.
Bettie Page And Big League Baseball: The New York Times In 60 Seconds
Filed under: New Releases », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », New York Times in 60 Seconds », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Lists »
Playwright Martin
McDonagh always wanted to be a director, and now his live-action short, Six Shooter, has won an Academy
Award. - Universal is getting a lot of criticism, but it's not going to pull the trailer for United 93.
- The "Times Pulse" says that Basic Instinct 2 is the most popular movie among New York Times readers. That's probably why it came in 10th in the box office this weekend. Its opening weekend.
- I had no idea that Mary Harron, who directed American Psycho, also directed the new flick The Notorious Bettie Page, with Gretchen Mol as the famous 50s pinup icon.
- The new baseball season started yesterday, and the paper gives a
rundown of the twelve baseball movies being celebrated at MoMA. But it's woefully incomplete. I mean, no mention of
good flicks like Rookie of the Year, Little Big League, or Fever Pitch? Any of those movies
are better than Cobb.
Darren McGavin, dead at 83
Filed under: Classics », Comedy », Drama », Fandom », Newsstand », Obits »
Darren McGavin, a prolific actor who starred in five television series and played many memorable supporting roles in the movies, died in Los Angeles yesterday of natural causes. Among his best-known television roles were a run in the 1950s in the title role of Mike Hammer (an absurdly macho, hyper-patriotic character McGavin later referred to as "an idiot" who he played as "camp" - this makes me like him very much) and a starring role in the cult favorite, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. In addition, McGavin received an Emmy nomination for his work as Candice Bergen's father on Murphy Brown.
To movie audiences, McGavin is immediately recognizable as The Old Man (aka Dad) in A Christmas Story. Other notable film roles include Gus Sands, the manipulative gambler in The Natural, and Louie, Frank Sinatra's dealer in The Man with the Golden Arm.
TIFF Review: Burn After Reading_thumbnail.jpg)
Maguire and Raimi Back for Spider-Man 4 and 5!?
Cinematical's TIFF 2008 Coverage Underway!
Indie Spotlight: New Releases for Sept. 5
TIFF Review: The Brothers Bloom
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg){kind=spacer}
