The Life And Times Of Hank Greenberg

The Life And Times Of Hank Greenberg
1998
Directed By Aviva Kempner



SYNOPSIS

Baseball player Hank Greenberg overcomes antisemitism to become one of the greatest Detroit Tigers of all time.



MY THOUGHTS

An outstanding documentary documenting an outstanding baseball player.
Hank Greenberg was an obvious choice for induction into the Hall Of Fame in the 1950s and this film details why. Despite all the anti-Jewish sentiment of the time Greenberg sailed above it all and put together several amazingly successful seasons with the Tigers before willingly drafted for World War 2 service.... and even achieved more after the war.

This film was made at a time when several former teammates, opponents and fans were still alive and able to share their thoughts on his superb performances on the field... and the film greatly benefits from this first hand knowledge. His family and friends also shed some light on the man, while old interviews from the legend himself add even more color to this man's unique story.

If you call yourself a baseball fan and do not know his story, run to this film and absorb every detail!
(this DVD is out of print but can be streamed via netflix.com)

A Player To Be Named Later

A Player To Be Named Later
2005
Directed by Bart Stephens



SYNOPSIS

A documentary crew follows members of the Milwaukee Brewers AAA team, the Indianapolis Indians, as they struggle to beat their opponents and hopefully get that call that sends them up to the big leagues during the 2001 season.

MY THOUGHTS

As a lifelong baseball fan, I never put much thought into the minor leagues. It was always just this magical place where teams would get someone when a player hit the disabled list or when the rosters expanded near the end of the season.
This film really opened my eyes to the realities and hardships the players face.
A Brewers executive states early in the film that roughly 6% of minor leaguers will ever be called up to the bigs. This coupled with the grueling schedule, little pay, and also trying to start/raise a family add to the tension the players face everyday.
Many of them have little hope of making it. Some are already in their 30's and are still trying. Others are injury-plagued, while others are good, just not good enough. It's heartbreaking to see these people come as close as possible to achieving their dreams, yet most will fall short. Though a few do get the call.

You also meet several of the player's wives and children and experience what it's like to have a husband/father on the road and you can easily relate to their stories.

My only criticism with the film is that the film is very manipulative in how it tells its story. With a baseball game's length, it provides many opportunities to show the good and bad sides of a player. The film seems quick to decide that a batter is slumping (or surging) and shows a quick sequence of strikeouts, foul balls, fly outs. Same goes with the pitchers. These are clearly shot over several games and facing different teams. I'm sure the players also had great moments in those games but those are edited out in favor of an already crafted story.

But the film succeeds in making you feel like you're practically part of the team... and any fan of the game should seek this one out.

What's Up, Tiger Lily?

What's Up, Tiger Lily
1966 - American International
Directed By Woody Allen



SYNOPSIS

Woody Allen takes a swinging Japanese spy thriller, strips it of it's soundtrack. In its place, Allen and other actors dub new dialogue that involves several factions fighting over the ultimate egg salad recipe.



MY THOUGHTS

A bold experiment that doesn't quite deliver.

Woody Allen's first film did something that no other film had done, and few have done since. Stripping the dialogue off of an existing film was a great idea, but it could have used some more work on the new script.

The film's major flaw is its sense of humor. There are some big laughs from some one-liners in the dialogue but I'd say nearly 3/4 of the jokes fall flat. Not even snicker or smile generating. Some you don't know if they are jokes or just filler to match the actor's mouths.

Some of the film's titillation doesn't age all that well either because we're all desensitized to nudity, but the ladies are nice to look at.

Adding scenes featuring performances by the Lovin' Spoonful (not at their best) don't fit the Asian-centric film, but it's great to see a classic band in their prime.

The voice dubbing is well done, rarely do you get any voice/mouth mismatching that you'd see in some of the poor English dubs of Godzilla films.

The Japanese film (called International Secret Police: Key of Keys) looks like it might be interesting on it's own. It seemed to have a campy James Bond rip-off quality that made the 60's Italian spy film "Danger: Diabolik" so much fun.

But this film tends to be tedious in some places... and ultimately it pales in comparison to later superior works like "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and Woody Allen's films to come.

Last Of The Mississippi Jukes

Last of the Mississippi Jukes
2003
Directed By Robert Mugge



SYNOPSIS

The history and current state of the few remaining blues juke joints in Mississippi are discussed in this documentary.

MY THOUGHTS

I've long been a fan of the blues and as a history nut, I'm delighted that these two fields collided in this documentary. Though little that I didn't already know history-wise is revealed, I didn't care with the excellent live blues songs and a few stories that filled most of the run time of the film.
The stories from noted blues man Bobby Rush and actor Morgan Freeman helped flesh out the appeal of such places, which were noted for being very rough and tough places to enjoy a beer and live music in the past.

A few such juke joints are highlighted, most well-known being the Subway Lounge... which faced demolition because of its location in a decaying building.
Thefilm details the community's rally to save the club. It was located in the basement of a historic hotel that gave shelter to many African-American musicians who couldn't stay elsewhere due to segregation back in the 40's-60's.

It was however not to be, the building wound up getting demolished less that 2 years after this documentary was shot. It was great however to see the club still alive and thriving before its untimely demise. The club was reopened elsewhere.

Any fan of the blues will love this love letter to its sadly dying past.

The Fly

The Fly
1958 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By Kurt Neumann



SYNOPSIS

A scientist (David Hedison) testing his matter transference device experiments on himself. A fly enters the machine and their DNA are mixed, splitting them nearly halfway into two separate beings... now his wife (Patricia Owens) stands accused of his murder! His brother (Vincent Price) and the police try to find out what happened.



MY THOUGHTS

The Fly has all the ingredients of a perfect film to be spoofed by Mystery Science Theater 3000... except it is far better than any film that ever appeared on the show.
'Mad' scientists, murder, old science, an over-the-top heroine and more would propel this film to be ridiculed; yet it is surprisingly effective.

20th Century Fox threw a decent sized budget behind this. The Fly got the CinemaScope (wide screen) process and was shot in color, which was rare for a sci-fi/horror film of the era. Very, very few genre films like 'Forbidden Planet' and 'This Island Earth' even got the Technicolor treatment.
The makeup of the fly head and arm were much more realistic than any other sci-fi/horror film of the 50's. You practically feel the horror along with the scientist's wife upon seeing him for the first time post-experiment.

The acting was well done, except by Patricia Owens, the heroine. She delivers the typical sci-fi/horror cliche performance here. She's quick to scream at anything that's out of the ordinary. Her 'lunacy' is not effective at all, and is nearly silly.
The other performances are fine. David Heddison is even better after his transformation into the fly and you truly feel pity for the character as he struggles to keep his humanity in check.

The plot kept you guessing the whole way... from the phone call at the beginning announcing the murder to the final search for the white-haired fly. The use of flashback to tell the bulk of the story was well done. It was slow at first but picked up steam as the story moved along. The reveal of the fly head and the "Help Me! Help Meeeeee!" ending are disturbing today, let alone 50 years ago.

The film is not as good as it's 80's remake by David Cronenberg, but it does remain as a very effective film of its time and remains entertaining and unique... with some genuinely creepy moments.

Drunken Master

Drunken Master
1978 - Hong Kong
Directed By Woo-Ping Yuen



SYNOPSIS

The son (Jackie Chan) of a renown kung fu teacher neglects his studies and is sent to train with his uncle, who teaches him discipline and a rare form of fighting, drunken style.



MY THOUGHTS

One of the all time greatest Jackie Chan films.

Jackie Chan displays all of his talents in this early film of his. Amazing stunt work and a very slapsticky and quick-humored approach to the action are trademarks of his. Nearly every second of the fight scenes rely on these.
It's amazing how he can consistently take an everyday item (film after film) and use it like a master against an opponent like vegetables, benches, and even a fart. It's no wonder this was the film that made him a star. The film's use of humor must have been a big breath of fresh air in the genre at the time, which helped to propel Chan.

Director Woo-Ping Yuen is a master of the genre and famously did the fight choreography in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Matrix films. In Drunken Master, his fights scenes are a thrill to watch (as usual) and you're amazed at all the tiny maneuvers that the fighters have to execute perfectly to avoid serious injury. Woo-Ping is to kung fu films what Busby Berkeley was to the musicals of the 1930's. Simply unbeatable choreography.
The final battle is epic.

The film does have one major weakness script-wise. As Chan's character is training, he doesn't have much motivation to keep going. He doesn't know once he's done he'll have to fight for his father's life. He just stumbles into that situation when it happens. The lack of this driving force makes those training scenes see aimless.
But then again, plot is not a major driving force in a kung fu film. It's the pesky stuff that gets in the way of the fight scenes!

My only gripe with the film is the downright horrific voices chosen for the dubbing into English. Chan's character starts out with a very noticeable English accent, which fades as the film goes on.
The other voices add some unintentional humor as well.

Those problems aside, Drunken Master is a hilarious action-packed delight.
It's sequel, Legend of Drunken Master is also great fun to watch.

The Top 5 Cinematic Experiences That Nearly Killed Me

5. Batman & Robin (1997)

A personal hero of mine, his cohorts and his villains are horrifically brutalized from a dreadful script. They are the lucky ones. They don't have to watch themselves. Put a gun to my head.



Cause of Death: Suicide.

4. TIE: Pulp Fiction (1994)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1995)

You know you're watching something amazing and you sit there with a big dopey grin on your face, experiencing pure bliss. Seeing these two in the theater did just that.





Cause of Death: Glee

3. TIE: Dumb & Dumber (1994)
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

Some movies hurt because they're terrible. Some are just too funny, causing severe internal injuries. These films are the latter. I could have choked to death from the lack of oxygen from laughing too hard. Somehow I was able to stay in my theater seat.





Cause of Death: Choking to death from laughter

2. The Empire Strikes Back (1982 Re-release)

My dad took me to see this in '82 soon after I saw the first one on TV and fell in love. I was not even 5 years old, yet still remember the film-going experience vividly today. I didn't understand it all, but was in awe. If it's possible to die from awesome, this is it.



Cause of Death: Awesomeness

1. Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)

Imagine yourself tied up like Han Solo in Return Of The Jedi rotating over an open flame. Meanwhile, you're slowly sliced into with a hacksaw in multiple locations by several people. This Steven Segal film is kinda like that, but with explosions.



Cause of Death: Brutal Torture