Showing posts with label 1992. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1992. Show all posts

Friday, January 18, 2013

A League of their Own (1992)


Number Rolled: 46
Movie Name/Year: A League of their Own (1992)
Genre: Comedy
Length: 127 minutes
Rating: PG
Director: Penny Marshall
Writer: Kim Wilson, Kelly Candaele, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Actors: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, David Straithairn, Garry Marshall, Bill Pullman, Megan Cavanagh, Rosie O’Donnell, Tracy Reiner,Bitty Schram, Don S. Davis, Renee Coleman, Ann Cusack, Eddie Jones, Freddie Simpson, Anne Ramsay, Pauline Brailsford, Lynn Cartwright

I was around nine years old when this movie first came out. It was before I broke my wrist, before I fell in love with soccer, and I was playing baseball in a mostly all boys little league. As well as I eventually did in that league, it meant I had to deal with a lot of comments from the other guys on my team. At that age, words meant a lot more than they do now in that context. This movie quickly became my favorite and I watched it about once a week for three or four years. Even now, when it pops on TV I find it difficult to want to change the channel.

This movie is based around the creation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In real-life, this league came to exist when the majority of males that were old enough to play, in the leagues we are more familiar with, had to go overseas to fight in World War II. The movie goes into the lives of Dottie Hinson and Kit Keller, sisters who are scouted into the league and what happens to them after the fact.

I’m not so sure I would use comedy as the primary genre for this movie. Don’t get me wrong, there are some hilarious moments, but because the script concentrates on the sibling rivalry and the near failure of a league that a lot of women relied on during a time when husbands, sons and brothers of the members were risking their lives at war, one would have to expect more drama than comedy.

It’s one of my all-time favorite movies. I have the majority of the script memorized, even now, when it’s been at least a year since I’ve seen it last. Something I would suggest to pretty much anybody, regardless of whether or not they like baseball.

Overall Opinion – 5/5

Monday, August 6, 2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)



Number Rolled: 18
Movie Name/Year: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Genre: Comedy
Length: 85 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Fran Rubel Kuzui
Writer: Joss Whedon
Actors: Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Luke Perry, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank, David Arquette, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Liz Smith, Thomas Jane, Stephen Root

Who hasn’t seen at least one episode of the Buffy the Vampire series? Maybe you didn’t like it. Maybe you did. But my bet? You’ve seen at least one episode. After watching Sarah Michelle Geller kick Vampire ass for seven seasons with David Boreanaz spinning off into Angel for five seasons, it’s easy to forget that the storyline saw its birth in this simple early 90’s movie. Back when Ben Affleck was un-credited and played lowly Basketball Player #10 and Seth Green was just some random extra vampire.

Remember that first episode of Buffy, when she moves to Sunnydale and the show talks of a mishap at her old school that got her expelled? Yeah. This movie shows you the start. The TRUE start of Buffy’s story. Forget the hell-mouth and enter in to a high school kid’s life. Wandering the mall with her empty-headed cheerleader friends and causing un-chaperoned mischief with her basketball team boyfriend. She’s not much different than most of the popular girls at that time. Suddenly her watcher shows up (Merrick, the one before Giles) and her life is flipped upside down. This is when she learns she is the Slayer.

I saw this movie long before the series came on air, and loved it. After having seen the entire series? I still love it. But the trick is to remember that THIS movie came FIRST. The series came from the movie and not vice-versa. Looking at the character, Buffy, from the final season, she’s drastically different from the Buffy you see in this movie. However, the Buffy from the first episode of the first season was similar. Try not to think of all the growth the character went through and remember that this was where is all began…

Overall Opinion – 4/5