Two Words, One Answer.
quarterback Michael
 Johnny Be Good $14.98 2 of 5 stars to the 1980's typical teen comedy movie Johnny Be Good. To the movies credit, it has several young actors who turn out to be name-brand people. How about Uma Thurman? Robert Downey Jr? Anthony Michael Hall? So that was good. The plot is about a high school football star who is trying to decide which college to attend. So, we follow AM Hall as his character visits several colleges who each roll-out the red carpet with VIP perks to get him to decide in their favor. The whole thing would be OK if you can possible believe that Hall COULD be a football star. My thinking is that on his first tackle, he'd be broken-up into little parts. He simply was not believeable as a star player. So, the movie was mildly funny with the usual plot twists and gags. Nothing special to recommend this movie. As I said at the start, a typical 1980's style comedy. Oh, it had too much 1980's synthesized music--my head hurts. You can skip this one.  Charlie Rose with Dan Marino; Michael Davies; Roger Kahn (January 1, 2001) $24.95 Pitching as Kahn makes clear in his opening remarks is an art, and a 'head game'. His candidate for greatest pitcher of them all was Christy Mathewson. Mathewson was something rare for the baseball players of his day, a university graduate.( Bucknell) He was also a world- class gamesman, who reportedly was capable of taking on six at a time in checkers. Mathewson according to Kahn was a tremendously smart pitcher who knew the opposing batters and how to pitch to them. Kahn also speaks about other great pitchers such as Warren Spahn, Grover Cleveland, Lefty Grove, Sal Maglie Bob Gibson Roger Clemens. He tells of how Sandy Koufax at one point was so wild he could not get close to the strike zone , learned to concentrate and become one of the most unhittable pitchers of all time. He tells the story of how Sal Maglie became a different pitcher after trying to intimidate Jack Robinson by throwing behind his back, only to have Robinson bunt the next pitch and intend to bowl into a covering Maglie at first base. Maglie after the bunt stood on the mound immobile and after this incident Kahn claims was never quite the same pitcher again. An interesting interview for those who love what Babe Ruth called ' the only real game in the world'.  Comeback Season $9.98 I enjoyed this film. While it may not be classic, it has great moments. Bruce McCulloch, who directed the light comedies "Stealing Harvard" & "Superstar," keeps the pace brisk. Ray Liotta, who won an Emmy for "ER" in 2005, plays Walter Pearce. Walter seems to be a rather weak man. With a marriage that has gone stale, he gives into temptation with a young assistant at his firm. His daughter Chloe goes to dinner with her family and her boyfriend Paul. Chloe is played by the lovely Rachel Blanchard who was in "Snakes on a Plane." Paul is played by Brenden Fehr who was a regular on the TV series "Roswell." On the heels of Paul & Chloe's engagement, Walter feels compelled to confess at the worst possible time that he has strayed. His wife Deborah played by Glenne Headley who was in The Amateurs begins to punish him in every way possible, which is the premise for all that follows. The other daughter Christine is played by Brooke Nevin who I enjoyed as Nikki Hudson on TV's "4400." She had her heart broken by star high school football player Skylar. Walter winds up crashing at Skylar's house, next door to his family. As Skylar, Shaun Sipos is a bright spot in the film. Looking like he could play a cousin to Brad Pitt, he must endure a big change in his life and learn how to be kind. The "buddy movie" aspect of the film greatly appealed to me. Ron Selmour, who will be in "2012" currently being advertised in theatres, has a nice cameo as the yoga teacher Ranja who tries to do more than teach. Overall, this is a feel-good movie that leaves you with a smile on your face and a warm spot in the heart. Enjoy! |
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