* Pass the popcorn

MLB.com’s Doug Miller contributed this list of independent films that have baseball somewhere within its theme, if not the actual subject. Some are documentaries, others are features, several premiered at film festivals.

Diminished Capacity (2008): Directed by Terry Kinney, the veteran actor and performer who garnered acclaim in his role as Tim McManus in the television show “Oz,” this small film with a Sundance Film Festival showing under its belt and big-time cast — Matthew Broderick, Alan Alda and Virginia Madsen, among others — follows the eccentric lead characters as they embark on a quest to sell a rare baseball card.

Sugar (2008): This Sundance-debuted feature, written and directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden who scored rave reviews for 2006’s “Half Nelson,” delves into life in the Dominican Republic for a fictional Major League prospect and how everything changes when he reaches America.

Black Irish (2007): Written and directed by Brad Gann, who penned the sports film “Invincible,” this is the tale of a strict Irish Catholic family in South Boston and the emergence of the 16-year-old baseball-playing son, played by Michael Angarano, as the family’s dysfunction complicates things.

Dummy Hoy: A Deaf Hero (2007): This documentary from Da-Cor Pictures and director David Risotto chronicles the amazing baseball career of William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy, the first - and best - deaf player in Major League history. You’ll learn that Hoy played in 1,798 big-league games and compiled a .288 lifetime batting average, 2,054 hits and 1,004 walks. He also threw three runners out at home plate from the outfield in one game.

Chasing October (2007): Matt Liston decided that quitting his job and making a documentary about his beloved Chicago Cubs in 2003 would break their “curse” and get them a World Series title for the first time since 1908. It didn’t quite work out that way for the North Siders and Liston, but he did make an enjoyable and memorable film in the process. [Editor's note: I saw this one the one about the Red Sox (see below). Enough with team documentaries that follow these chest-beaters who feel the need to beat their breasts over life's inequities.]

Game 6 (2005): Actor Michael Keaton, alone, is worth the price of admission to any movie and this one, directed by Michael Hoffman and taken from a Don DeLillo story, takes us into the life of a playwright and Boston Red Sox fan who misses the opening night of his play to watch the pivotal Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Robert Downey Jr. also stars.

Up For Grabs (2004): Written and directed by Michael Wranovics, this film falls under the category of “too bizarre to be fiction.” It follows the exhausting and sometimes-hilarious legal battle that ensued from the battle for the ball that Barry Bonds belted for his record-setting 73rd home run of the season in 2001.

Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (2004): Paul Doyle Jr.’s documentary about Red Sox Nation and the long-suffering team chronicles the 2003 season that ended for the Red Sox when Aaron Boone’s home run cleared the wall at Yankee Stadium in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. Little did Doyle know how soon his subject would reverse its “curse.”

This Old Cub (2004): This fun, nostalgic and sentimental documentary is a labor of love from a son to his father. Jeff Santo made the film about his father, Ron, the former Cubs star third baseman and broadcaster who has delighted fans throughout his long history with the team. [Editor's note: Sweet]

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998): Writer and director Aviva Kempner’s documentary about baseball’s first major Jewish star is a fascinating study of a man, a time in America, and a battle against anti-Semitism that Greenberg waged with his spirit and baseball skills. [Editor's note: Another in the long line of "Burnsian" treatments. Well done, nice music, but I'm partial.]

* Bull Durham 20 years later

Has it really been 20 years? ESPNthemag.com has a five-part retrospective, featuring interviews with director Ron Shelton and actors Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner.

 

 

* Holy baseball, Batman

Yes, Robin, there was hardball in the Holy Land last year, with the inaugural season of the Israel Baseball League. Six teams played during the summer of ‘07; three of which were led by former Major Leaguers Art Shamsky, Ken Holztman, and Ron Blomger, who led his team to the championship.

Unfortunately, and for a number of reasons beyond the purview of this blog, the season is on hiatus for 2008, and perhaps beyond, while several business and sports people behind the scenes try to save Israeli baseball in some form.

Brett Rapkin and Eril Kesten chronicled the debut campaign in Holy Land Hardball, which recently made its debut at the AFI Silver Theater & Cultural Center. The project was an official selection at the AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival.

Here’s the official trailer. For more information about the film, visit the official Web site here.

* AFI’s “Double Feature”

The American Film Institute released its list of the top ten films in ten categories.

Pride of the Yankees and Bull Durham came in third and fifth respectively in the Sports genre.

The list includes:

1. Raging Bull
2. Rocky
3. Pride of the Yankees
   
4. Hoosiers
5. Bull Durham
   
6. The Hustler
7. Caddyshack
8. National Velvet
9. Breaking away
10. Jerry Maguire

Talk amongst yourselves.

The AFI website has some nice links for the each film, including clips, stills and brief commentary:

• Pride of the Yankees
• Bull Durham

* Big time (movie) baseball stars

SI.com has a slide show of their fantasy baseball team comprised of movie characters. Nice idea, until you see some of their selections:

1. Jack Elliot (Tom Sellick), in Mr. Baseball
2. Eppy Calvin “Nuke” Laloosh (Tim Robbins), Bull Durham
3. Dotty Hinson (Geena Davis), A League of Their Own
4. Montgomery Brewster (Richard Pryor), Brewster’s Millions
5. 
6. Amanda Wurlizter (Sammi Kane Kraft ), Bad News Bears
7. Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), Major League
8. Henry Rowengartner (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Rookie of the Year
9. Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes), The Fan
10. Ed (Ed), Ed
11. Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), The Natural

Plus, for some reason, Jessica Biel’s character in Summer Catch.

Entertainment Weekly counters with an “MVP” list of their own, which includes several overlaps of the SI piece. Their chocies are more stringent since they pick one per position.

1. Rick Vaughn
2. George “Bucky” Weaver (John Cusack), Eight Men Out. Although you have to give credit to clown/mime Bill Irwin for his rendering of Ed “Cocky” Collins.
3. Jackie Robinson (Jackie Robinson), The Jackie Robinson Story.
4. Jimmy Piersall (Anthony Perkins), Fear Strikes Out. Perkins has been generally acknowledged as the worst actor to portray an athlete.
5. Amanda Wurlitzer (Tatum O’Neal), The Bad News Bears
6. Roy Hobbs
7. Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), Field of Dreams. It has been pointed out that Jackson was a lefty batter, which Liotta was not. Nor did the actor affect a southern accent.
8. Lou Gehrig (Gary Cooper), Pride of the Yankees. The famous legend has it that they couldn’t make Cooper a convincing lefty, so they put him in a uniform with the letters in reverse and flipped the field, making him running to third base instead of first.
9. Dottie Hinson and manager Jimmy Duggan (Tom Hanks)
10. Nuke Laloosh and Crash Davis (Kevin Costner)

The EW site also awards points for accuracy in the portrayal.

All right, time to get serious here. No kids, no animals, no special effects (Sorry, Ray Milland.):

My selections, representing each position, plus a pitching staff, made of of characters who could really bring it:

First Base: Jack Elliot

Second Base: Disqualifying Robinson, since he had the professional advantage, so I pick Eddie Collins

Shortstop: Eddie O’Brien (Gene Kelly), Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Had to pick someone. I guess shortstop is too hard a position to fake on screen.

Third Base: Buck Weaver

Leftfield: Shoeless Joe Jackson (D.B. Sweeney), Eight Men Out

Centerfield: Happy Felsch (Charlie Sheen), Eight Men Out

Rightfield: Roy Hobbs

Catchers: Crash Davis, Dottie Hinson

Pitchers: Rick Vaughn, Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner), For the Love of the Game; Jimmy Morris (Dennis Quaid), The Rookie; Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty), Bang the Drum Slowly; Eddie Ciccotte (David Strathairn), Eight Men Out. Forget that the character cheated, Strathairn, a staple of John Sayles movies, was pretty convincing on the mound. Other stars who played pitchers include Jimmy Stewart (The Monty Stratton Story), Dan Dailey (The Pride of St. Louis, portraying Dizzy Dean), and Ronald Reagan (Grover Cleveland Alexander in The Winning Team).

Honorable Mention: Dennis Haysbert, who played two heavy hitters, Pedro Cerrano in Major League, and Max “Hammer” Dubois in Mr. Baseball.

FYI, here are a couple of good baseball movie sites: Baseballmovie.com, which includes lots of information and links. Also SportsinMovies.com.

* Moneyball: Coming soon to a theater near you?

According to Firstshowing.net(and based on an interview on Collider.com), the neo-classic is under consideration by producer Mike De Luca.

“De Luca confirms that he wants to adapt it and seems enthusiastic about the kind of movie it could become.”

The list of five: Baseball’s movies best films, according to CSM

According to Christian Science Monitor film critic Peter Rainer:

With the new baseball season almost upon us, this is a perfect time to recommend a few standout movies about the sport – not that there have been many. Some of the most acclaimed, like “Field of Dreams” and “The Natural,” are so overblown they might as well be about the Knights of the Round Table. Monitor critic Peter Rainer selects five that continue to give us pleasure.

The list includes (with my very brief commentary):

• Pride of the Yankees (Agreed)
• The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motors Kings (No)
• Eight Men Out (Agreed)
• Bull Durham (Agreed)
• The Rookie (Agreed)

The reviewer points out that Field of Dreams is absent from his list. I don’t have any great problem with that, but there must be something better than Bingo, as good as that was. It can’t be a question of recently films, since Pride is in there.

Now see this: Pride of the Yankees: Collector’s Edition

As much as we think we’re collectors, we’re just fooling ourselves. There’s (practically) no way to get everything of an item or theme that’s worth collecting. As that great philosopher, George Carlin, once said: “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”

That being said, I have a dark spot for the entertainment industry that keeps recycling old movies, tossing in a few bones by way of “extras”, and re-selling it as a new product. First there’s the original, then there’s the original, unrated version (for those of you expecting to find more lurid scenes or nudity in those versions, be aware that “unrated” simply means material that wasn’t in the original “rated” edition; could be anything). Then there’s the director’s cut and the anniversary editions, sometimes repackaged to look a bit spiffier, a bit shiner.

That being said, this re-release of POTY looks interesting enough for those who truly love this classic about Lou Gehrig. Among the extras, according to the article:

• “The Making of The Pride of the Yankees” : Anecdotes about the film’s production, shared by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., as well as Richard Bann, a film historian, and Ray Robinson, a Lou Gehrig biographer.
• “The Man Behind the Iron Horse”: A talk with Robinson about his connection to Gehrig and a little biographical info.
• “What He Left Behind”: A tour of the Gehrig memorabilia at the Baseball Hall of Fame, many of which relate to the film.
• “Always - The Story Behind the Song”: About the writing of the tune sung while Lou and Eleanor are dancing in the film. Written by Irving Berlin, the featurette interviews his daughter as well as one of his biographers.
• “Lou Gehrig’s Disease: The Search for a Cure”: The President of the ALS Association and others explains about the disease and the impact Gehrig had in regards to awareness of it.
• “Curt Schilling: A Legend on a Legend”: Schilling, a baseball player and ALS acitivist, shares his admiration of his hero, as does his son, Gehrig Schilling.

For those of you with patience enough (since it’s cut up into 15 “slices”), you can watch the movie, sans extras, on YouTube (for the time being at least).

Baseball quiz, mostly movies

From the Palm Beach Post. I’m embarrassed to say I got a 92.

And the Oscar goes to…

With the Academy Awards on the horizon, I thought it would be appropriate to mention some of the excellent books that discuss the twin American treasures of baseball and the movies.

Baseball and the movies are like peanut butter and chocolate: they were meant to go together. Baseball is the eternal struggle of man seeking triumphs while rying to retain eternal youth; why else would athletes approaching middle age seek to keep playing a kid’s game (oh, yeh, the money)?

Baseball movies fall into one of several genres: the biopic (Pride of the Yankees, The Jackie Robinson/Monty Stratton Story, Fear Strikes Out, et al.) many of which take great liberty with their subjects, especially those produced before the period of the “anti-hero,” when each subject had to struggle against some adversity to regain lost glory (except in the case of the Lou Gehrig story).

Another is the fictional athlete who enjoys success, is distracted by a love interest, and loses his prowess (on the field, at least) before deciding what’s really important (and amazingly getting his mojo back). One more is the sports version of the western, in which the good guy overcomes the nefarious dealings of the bad guy, usually a gambler, to help his mates win the big game.

For those who wish to explore this topic in more eloquent detail than I can provide, here are s few suggestions:

• Reel Baseball, by Les Krantz (Doubleday, 2006) looks at video highlights from newsreels and broadcasts
• Reel Baseball: Essays and Interviews on the National Pastime, Hollywood, and American Culture, edited by Stephen C. Wood and J. David Pincus (McFarland, 2003)
• Diamonds in the Dark: America, Baseball and the Movies, by Howard Good (Scarecrow, 1997)
• The Cinema of Baseball: Images of America, 1929-1989, by Gary E. Dickerson (Meckler, 1991)
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Yankee Stadium: Baseball Films in the Capra Tradition, by Wes D. Gehrig (McFarland, 2005)
• The Baseball Filmography, 1915 through 2001 (Second Edition), by Hal Erickson (McFarland, (2001)
• Sports Cinema: 100 Movies, by Randy Williams (Limelight Edition. 2007)
• Great Baseball Films: From Right off the Bat to A League of Their Own, by Rob Edelman (Citadel Press, 1994)

Pride of the Yankees won the 1943 Oscar for best editing, and received nominations in several other categories, including best picture, Gary Cooper for best actor, and Teresa Wright for best actress.

Yet another list…

Film critic Richard Roeper’s best and worst baseball films of all time:

Best (In order of preference)	Worst (In alpha order*)
The Natural	The Babe
Bull Durham	The Babe Ruth Story
Field of Dreams	The Bad News Bears Go to Japan
Bang the Drum Slowly	The Fan
Pride of the Yankees	Fear Strikes Out
Major League	Major League: Back to the Minors
	The Slugger’s Wife

* because the author says at some point, awful is just awful.

From 10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed & Other Surprising Movie Lists, Hyperion, 2003.

These have been culled from Roeper’s lists of all-time best and worst sports movies. There have been a few additional baseball films since this book came out. At the risk of speaking out of turn, I would venture to add The Rookie to the “best” side while some might put the remake of The Bad News Bears in the “worst” category.

List: Classic Baseball Movies

From Classicmovies.org, this list of more than 30 feature films from 1933-1992, including the usual suspects. There’s also a list of what are deemed as “lesser” films on the game, as well as a link to ReelBaseball.net, a site devoted to baseball films from 1989-2002, produced by Stephen C. Wood and J. David Pincus.

 

Kevin Costner on baseball

NPR’s Fresh Air replayed this May 2007 interview with Costner to mark the release of his latest movie, Mr. Brooks, on DVD. The interviewer is with Dave Davies. Costner discusses his love for the game (not coincidentally the title of his trilogy of baseball films; and no, The Upside of Anger, in which he plays a retired player turned radio jock, doesn’t count).

FYI: The sound bite has been culled from the original interview (which requires Flash Player, according to NPR) and uploaded via box.net

Field of Dreams

For The Love of the Game