To Be a Good Sport

Well, I was hoping the World Series would be over by now, but the “boys of October” should now be called the “boys of November.”  Regardless, I will go ahead and post my favorites sports movies as my blog for the week.  The fact that six of these films are baseball films is not an indication that baseball is my favorite sport - they just happen to be movies I enjoy. I hope you will, too.

#11 - Mr. Baseball (1992)

Tom Selleck…HELLO?!?!?

#10 - The Bad News Bears (1976)

It’s just darn funny!

# 9 - Angels in the Outfield (1994)

I grew up in Orange County and the California Angels were my home team.  We spent many Sunday afternoons out at Anaheim Stadium. So, when a movie came out with the “Angels” as the stars, I couldn’t resist.  Plus, seeing a very young Joseph-Gordon Levitt before his rise to stardom was loads of fun! There is another Angels in the Outfield (1951) starring Janet Leigh and Keenan Wynn, and it is the origin of the plot of my #9 pick.

#  - 8 Rollerball (1975)

This is a great sci-fi picture regardless of sport!  Starring James Caan and John Houseman, this movie also makes my May 24 blog of “Classic Pairings,” as the “Sci-Fi” selection. 

# 7 – Ice Castles (1978)

Starring a young Robbie Benson and Lynn-Holly Johnson and its popular theme music by the late Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager, this movie tells the story of the quick rise to fame of a Midwestern ice skater and what happens when that fame presents too much pressure.  Ah, true young love conquers all…

# 6 – Moneyball (2011)

Brad Pitt, yes! And although it features the Oakland Athletics (the California Angels’ rivals), it brought to the forefront the fascinating world of building a team through trades and quick deals.  Not only eye candy, but eye opening, as well.

# 5 – Oxford Blues (1984)

For your consideration, another pretty face – Rob Lowe in the role of a Nevada rogue rower, who for the sake of meeting a young lady of royal blood, finagles his way into Oxford University.  He must confront his own demons of being a team player in order to win the heart of the lady, played by Amanda Pays (who is married to Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law fame, and who is the son of actress Jeanne Cooper (star of Young & the Restless – see blog of October 18).  This movie also stars the [whiney] Ally Sheedy.

# 4 – Major League (1989)

I LOVE this movie – yes, it’s ‘naughty,’ but what a goofy bunch of ball players. It’s almost a Bad News Bears of adults! It stars Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, and Corbin Bernsen (see #5) "Wild Thing, I think I love you!"

# 3 – Happy Gilmore (1996)

I am not an Adam Sandler fan by any means, but this movie is so darn cute and sweet!  With many moments of hilarity and a bit of romance, Adam Sandler makes us believe he is the hockey player gone wrong and wants to make good.  And, we love Granny, too!

# 2 – Superstar Goofy (1972)(aka The Goofy Sports Story, 1956)

“A cartoon? Is she daft?” you might be thinking.  This Disney animated is truly a classic.  I cannot keep myself from laughing hysterically over the antics of my favorite (other than Mickey, of course) Disney character.   Watching Goofy perform the ‘correct’ way to Olympic sports and other games is downright the best!

#1 – The Natural (1984)

I’ve written on this film a couple of other times in my blog, so it is no wonder how and why this film makes the top of my favorite sports films.  Every acting performance is tender and poignant (how can you not love Red and Pop whistling tunes to guess the title?) I love this story of ‘what might have been,’ but satisfies the yearnings of ‘what actually can be.’  With a heart-wrenching score by Randy Newman, The Natural is a classic film to be forever adored. "The best that ever was."

Serial Stars

From my earliest days, I remember sitting at my mother’s feet while she did the ironing and watched her soaps.  I am a third generation CBS television soap watcher.  I have not watched for 20+ years, but I do know that when I see one of my old standards, many of the key players are still at it.  My mother and paternal grandmother watched Love is a Many Splendored Thing, As the World Turns, The Guiding Light, Secret Storm, and The Edge of Night (which later moved to ABC). I, in turn, added Search for Tomorrow and The Young and the Restless to my daily watching fare in my later high school and college years.

 

So what does this have to do with movies? Last night, I was surfing YouTube© and joyously found the opening sequences for these shows and spent several minutes recounting those days, placing myself, once again, at my mother’s feet.

Once again, I ask, what does this have to do with movies?  Thinking about what I might write about this week, I decided to go away from my idea list and write about some of those daily actors and actresses who made it from the small screen to the big screen.  There are hundreds, if you even began an attempt at a complete list, but once in a while, there is a small handful that makes it into your memory.  Ever since Joan Crawford filled in for her daughter, Christina, on Secret Storm, there has been the movement for movie stars to grace the soaps, but that is a bit easier. Kathy Bates, Demi Moore, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Pitt, and the list goes on and on and on… are just the start of a mega-list of who started out on the small screen.

Many soap opera stars became stars in their own right.  They went on to do prime time series television and made for television movies.  That list would also be a ‘mile long.’  But since I watched the CBS line-up, here are a few of the ‘big cross-overs’ that still standout for me, (as I am sure that my toddler memory has ‘left the building’):

As the World Turns

William Fichtner

Ming Na

Julianne Moore

Meg Ryan

The Guiding Light

Kevin Bacon

And, already a star, the lovely Patricia Barry (of my blog 2-17-12)

A few old savings...

As always, this blog is to get your memory jogging, too.  It is not for telling my why your soaps were better than these and why you feel that way. It is to share memories. If you were ever a soap watcher, who do you remember before they ‘were stars’?

And So It Begins...

One of my favorite parts of a movie is the title sequence.  They have certainly developed over the years. I remember as a kid how it seemed they would go on forever.  In most cases, the credits were in the beginning of the film, including the cast of characters.  Everyone received their due before the audience had a chance to walk out on where the credit lie in the production they had just experienced.  I certainly enjoy a contemporary film where this is done; however, with so many films involved with computer graphics and digital work, the audience could possibly wait a full ten minutes before the movie even begins (as is with the 1978 Superman joke)!

For the most part, the title sequence in its infancy was just this – to give the audience all the information on the production crew and the cast they would see throughout the film.  However, there were films early that began to use the title sequence to move the story along to our point of induction.  Any good film uses every scene to further the story line, hence the continual love/hate relationship between editor and director (and why we have so many films in director’s cut versions).

Saul Bass (of Rankin – Bass Productions) was a pioneer in the evolution of the title sequence.  He created title sequences for the likes of Anatomy of a Murder, Around the World in Eighty Days, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and North by Northwest. You can see many of these title sequences on YouTube©.  Further reading on Saul Bass is available in the book, Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design (©2011), by Jennifer Bass, Pat Kirkham, and Martin Scorsese.  (My family can find this on my wish list!)  

I have several favorite title sequences.  They may have a great score that accompanies the visual, and this sucks me into its vortex of fascination, luring me into the story’s web.  Interestingly enough, as in past blogs, some of these titles will appear on future blog postings.

Here are snapshots of just a few:

 Kiss of Death (1947)

Through the typed pages of the manuscript, the audience feels like they are reading right from the story.  The pica font is classic and in a whimsical way lures the audience into this dark tale.  Not one of my favorite films, but I love the creativity here.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Right from the initial animation, we get the idea there is a chase about to ensue.  The frantic pace of the world and those within her are about to realize it's mad AND madcap.

The Pink Panther (1963)

Who would have ever thought that this panther (a diamond of great worth) would become a popular cartoon franchise? Here, Henry Mancini writes one of the most easily identifiable themes in the history of the movies.

The Great Race (1965)

With another Henry Mancini's score, this sequence is presented in the form of old lantern show slides.  Even as one catches fire and burns, and another is placed into the projector incorrectly, the 'boos' and 'huzzahs' for the characters are right from an old-time melodramatic play.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

The shadowy figures pre-tell the story in a most mesmerizing fashion.  The film itself is a 'fashion piece' using '60's style art and John Williams' frenetic score.

Casino Royale (2006)

When Daniel Craig took on James Bond, the buzz was wild, and so is this sequence of mixes media that is accompanied by a rocking title song by Chris Cornell.  By the time it's over, the audience is pumped and ready to take on any assignment with 007.

My favorite title sequence might be surprising. It is neither cute nor cartoon. It is highly political and graphic.  It does exactly what it is supposed to do.  It brings backstory to us and emotionally grabs us, whether we agreed with it or not.  And once it is complete, we are ready for the rest of what is to take place. 

Here is the title sequence for the 2005 film, Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage.

 As I have mentioned before, blogging about film is about as easy to find as a weed in a vacant lot.  I have found one blog dedicated strictly to the art itself at: 

http://www.artofthetitle.com

I don’t need to reinvent the wheel.  Those at the Art of the Title, have made a terrific compilation video of the evolution of the title sequence.  I found it interesting to find several of my favorites included here.  I must not all that crazy!

As with the Saul Bass book, there are many other books and video resources on the subject of the title sequence at through bookstores and internet sources.

Once again I leave you with the question - What are your favorite title sequences? Is it time to revisit an 'old friend'?

***** On a side note – it is hard to believe there are just 12 weeks left in this year.  

I will be out of my movie room and not post a blog next week. I will return to post again October 18.