Family Movie Night
Family Movie Night
by Karyn Bowman
This week is the week of the All-Star Game.
As fans gather in the 3-year-old stadium in the borough of Queens in New York City, you know that this game is less meaningless because the winning league gets home field advantage in the World Series. While that might not be the fairest way to determine who has home field, it is what the league has come up with for now.
There is one benefit to the all-star game. It will be big time singers doing the national anthems of Canada and the United States. About 15 years ago, Sarah MacLachlan sang “O Canada” and I am not sure if I have heard a better version. That same year Kelsey Grammer sang the “Star Spangled Banner.” While Grammer has a good voice, he was completely outdone by MacLachlan.
This year the honors will be done by 2013 American Idol winner Candice Glover and Canadian Recording Artist Scott Newsome who does the Canadian anthem for a number of sport franchises. I have to admit I am looking forward to hearing their renditions.
The problem I have every year is deciding which movies to showcase for this week.
Image from IMDb.com
Everyone knows that the best baseball movies ever made star Kevin Kostner. His turn as a hippie-turned-farmer baseball fan in The Field of Dreams has provided some of the best quotable lines ever. That is until we get to Bull Durham, an adult drama about a baseball fanatic that trains minor league players in her own special way who crosses paths with a veteran catcher.
Both movies came out in the late 80s and might be showing their age in regards to hairstyles and fashion. But both movies give us a truer than true depiction of people at very different points in their lives. Some are looking for reconciliation while others are pursuing a dream that may never come to fruition.
These movies along with Minor League are very adult-oriented and probably better suited for couples to watch.
Image from IMDb.com
This week the movie about Jackie Robinson, 42, is coming out on DVD. The movie depicts how Robinson is chosen by Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey, to break the color barrier of Major League Baseball. It depicts a somewhat sanitized version of the racial insults and backwards behavior that Robinson and his wife, Rachel, endured as Robinson becomes the first black man to play on a major league team.
It is a movie I have not seen yet but plan to as soon as possible. When I think back to this time period, I am amazed at what a wonderful time it was for our country as we recovered from WWII. But the tremendous hatred for one group of people because their skin color was darker than the rest always leaves me flummoxed and upset. I have not seen it so I cannot tell you which family members should not watch it but with a rating of PG-13 it my guess that this one is better for tweens and teens who can follow along better with the context of the movie.
Until Next Week, see you in the rental aisle.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
I have yet to see 42 myself (it’s on the list) but I’ve been told that the abuse suffered by the Robinsons is still quite disturbing, for all that it’s been sanitized. Just a heads-up for anyone thinking about seeing it with younger folks. For the latter audience, I heartily recommend The Sandlot, Rookie of the Year, and Angels in the Outfield. Happy All-Star Break! 🙂
I think all three of these movies are great for kids – and the adults who love them.
Field of Dreams always cheers me up and give me hope.
Let us know what you think of 42. Hopefully people can see that the country recognizes the flaws and moves to address them – life isn’t fiction and changes take a while sometime, but change happens.
I don’t understand the strong hatred as we were not raised to think one person was better than another – old TX farm families like my dad’s all worked together in the fields and had pretty much the same lives no matter the skin color.
Maybe that wasn’t done other places at that time.
I was shocked when I encountered people who would not sit in the same room with black people much less let their wives and children have dinner with them ( I was in 5th grade – it was a a big name college in Mass. – all educated adults.)
Up until then we were only around those who said “let a person’s actions tell you what kind of person they are – not the color of their skin.” Dad said you can’t generalize how people think by where they were raised.
Wish people would go back to that concept – all races of people should teach actions are what reveals character not skin color or location.
Sorry to go on so long, but the whole country being so divided now is so disturbing. Worse than ever?
I am not sure if it is worse than ever. On one hand, I think we are discussing it more than ever. On the other, I think being prejudiced has become OK once again with a black president. They may not say that is the reason they hate him but it is certainly why certain factions cannot allow him one bit of cooperation on their part.
There are a lot of great baseball movies, and Field of Dreams is certainly among the best. I also like The Natural and A League of Their Own. My wife and I saw 42 in the theater and we both thought it was very well done. As with any movie based on a true story, it’s hard to know which parts are exaggerated and which are understated — but I think it presents the overall story in a balanced way.
When I want to cry, I get “A League of Their Own.” The last 20 minutes I am a sopping mess.
I loved “A League of Their Own” with Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. Have you seen it?
Yep. And I cry during the final 20 minutes every single time.
This has nothing to do with baseball but this weekend we saw a great Indie flick I am sure you will enjoy, The Way,Way Back. Low key, sort of coming of age movie. Delightful.
I have heard good things about that movie and want to see it. I also want to see the new Jeff Bridges movie because it looks stupendously fun and bad.
Excellent choices, all of them.