Baseball Edition
We love “best of” lists when it comes to building our movie
collection. It's hard to find the right movies to place on our shelves when we
consider the vast amount of films created all over the world. So, every now and
then we will give you a list of our favorite films as a suggestion. Think of it
as your cheat sheet to movie research. You might not agree with our picks, but
you might be inspired to watch one you haven't seen yet and then add it to your
home theater library.
Field of Dreams (1989) – “If you build it, he will
come.” So many famous quotes seem to come from sports movies and Field of
Dreams spawned one of the most misquoted lines in history! In 1989, Kevin
Costner starred in this film that combines magic, nostalgia, and baseball.
Costner's character (Ray Kinsella) hears voices that inspire him to build a
baseball diamond in his backyard. This diamond brings the ghosts of famous
baseball players to play in front of the small town—one of those players being
the ghost of Kinsella's father. This movie is said to be the movie to
make even the most macho man cry, so keep that in mind, but it's also a great
escapist film that makes you wish you could build a baseball diamond of your own.
Major League (1989) – Before Charlie Sheen was dating
questionable women, tearing up Las Vegas and talking about tiger blood, he
portrayed Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn in the Major League movie series. This flick
is about the Cleveland Indians road to the playoffs. The team ends up with a
new owner that wants the Indians to lose in order to move them out of Ohio.
Once the players learn about their new owner's plot, they decide to start
playing well on purpose, both to spite their owner and keep the team in
Cleveland. If you enjoy the first Major League movie, make sure to check out
the sequel that was released in 1994. Sheen returns in the sequel and the film
keeps the same tone and humor of the first movie in the franchise.
A League Of Their Own (1992) – “There's no crying in
baseball!” How many times have you heard that one? Directed by Penny Marshall
(of Laverne & Shirley fame) this movie sheds light on the lives of female
baseball players in the US during World War II. With the men off to war, women
took over a lot of jobs once only done by men—including baseball. With an
all-star cast including Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna, it's hard not to
enjoy this classic. Baseball intertwined with politics and societies a lot back
in the day, and this movie shows one of those instances in a comedic, yet
memorable way.
The Sandlot (1993) – “You're killing me, Smalls!”
Maybe you've heard your friends say it before, and I'm sure you've seen a clip
of a freckle-faced redhead boy in a catcher's mask yelling “Play ball!” at a
game. Well, that clip and that quote are from The Sandlot. This classic is
about the summer adventures of a group of boys and their neighborhood baseball
games. Other classic lines, like “You play ball like a girl!” (also used at
sports games) come from this comedic and nostalgic film. For those of you that
keep thinking about the good ol' days and your childhood, The Sandlot is a
must.
42 (2013) – Although
this was a recent entry into the world of baseball movies, it should still have
a spot in your movie collection. 42 is the story of Jackie Robinson, the first
black Major League Baseball player, and the struggles he had to go through to
earn the respect of racist fans, players, and managers. It is a touching story,
sometimes hard to watch (only because of how awful he was treated) that ends up
teaching the audience a very important lesson—that baseball fans can be of any
color, and from any walk of life, as can its players.
No comments:
Post a Comment