Down to the Wire Finish

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

By the time you read this, either the Cubs have won the World Series or they remain lovable losers who came this/close to ending the curse.

I don’t know at the moment if they have done one or the other. At this point in time they have won their second game and must win two more in order to break the curse.

It was great, it was terrifying. I thought they were going to lose it all at various moments when I wasn’t thinking the team had finally gotten over their fears.

I was feeling jealous of my cousin who was in Wrigley field during this tremendous win.

I almost felt bad for all of the times I made fun of him for being a Cubs fan while I am a Sox’s fan.

Almost.

But here’s the thing. I am happy to see the Cubs get this opportunity. But if they lose, I will not let Cubs fans know just how great my team was during the time they were in the World Series. Why, even former president George H.W. Bush was in the audience and they made a point of rubbing Houston’s nose in the loss by doing it quickly.

Perhaps that is too mean, I’m not sure.

In the mean time I can send you in the direction of some great movies about baseball.

You know the ones because they all seem to star Kevin Costner. Ok, maybe not but my two favorites are Bull Durham which is about an older player trying to figure out his role in Baseball as his playing career ends. The other is Field of Dreams in which a man discovers a secret world of deceased players in his cornfield.

Image from IMDb.com

Both movies, from different perspectives, tell a story that women can love and men can cry about without being total sissies. Maybe that is not politically correct to say but some guys still want to be macho stoics. Whatever.

You can still enjoy these stories of men finding ways to explore their feelings about lost chances and missed opportunities channeled into new opportunities such as a different career in your field or playing catch with your deceased father.

Or maybe you want to explore how the Cleveland Indians manage to stick it it their money-grubbing owner by not stinking and finding their way to the World series in Major League. It will involve a pitcher with wild throws and a voodoo spell to make a bat work. Meanwhile, Tom Berenger learns his game while in the last chance of his career to do something great.

Charlie Sheen appears in this movie as the pitcher with the strong but undisciplined arm. Dennis Haysbert is the Caribbean player who uses what ever he can to bring luck to his bat. None of these movies I have talked about are meant for kids.

But there is one that might appeal to them. Rookie of the Year is about a kid who discovers a new talent. After the kid’s arm heals from a break, the kid discovers he can throw as fast as a major a. Of course he is discovered. And soon he is playing for the Cubs as a pitcher.

It is a cute and sweet movie that kids can love. While not always plausible, it is fun and appropriate for younger members of the family..

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

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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.