Five Great Baseball Characters

1. Ray ‘Crash’ Davis (Bull Durham)

 

Kevin Costner and Baseball have always gone well together and his turn as veteran minor league catcher Crash Davis was a career best for the man. What makes Crash such an appealing character is the fact that he knows his career has past him by (except for his 21 glorious days in the majors) and he sets about becoming mentor to talent pitcher Ebby (Tim Robbins) to help him succeed where has failed. Also his superb speech about the things that he believes in will eternally rank as one of the most motivational ones in Baseball

2. Billy Beane (Moneyball)

A real life character yes, but Brad Pitt’s interpretation of the well noted Oakland A’s GM is truly fantastic. Managing one of the poorest teams in Baseball and placing his entire career on a risky idea involving sabre-metrics, Beane is literally living on the edge. But through all the uncertainty, we firmly root for this man due his steadfast approach to his idea and through this he changes the face of baseball forever- even if it means making tough choices and going against the people closest to him. His meetings with his scouts exemplify his attitude towards old time Baseball.

 

3. Ricky ‘Wild Thing’ Vaughn (Major League)

Pitchers don’t come more entertaining than the Wild Thing, from the moment we see him getting the call to join the Cleveland Indians (from prison no less) we know this is no ordinary man. The man has a fast arm, but no control and this becomes a burden for the team. But as he learns the art of throwing a strike- he becomes the man with the golden arm. One of Charlie Sheen’s better post Platoon performances and through his devil may care attitude- a baseball movie legend was born! After watching this, I guarantee you will be singing X’s version of ‘Wild Thing’ continuously in the coming days.

4. Bruce Pearson (Bang The Drum Slowly)

One of Robert De Niro’s most unknown performances, but nonetheless one of his most powerful. Bruce Pearson is a semi-literate catcher for the fictional New York Mammoths who is currently dying from Hodgkin’s Disease. The organisation wants of him, but his friend Henry (Michael Moriarty) is determined to fight for him, but cannot explain why! De Niro’s firmly captures our hearts and his turn as simple natured Bruce is one of the most compelling, but as the team begins to rally around him it begins to fill his final days with joy.

5. Kenny Powers (Eastbound and Down)

Based upon notoriously loud and foul mouthed pitcher John Rocker, Danny McBride’s turn as Kenny Powers has lit up all four series of this fine comedy show. With an ego the size of the US, this man is an ex star pitcher whose lousy attitude has seen him thrown out of most MLB teams. Now he is being forced to pick up the pieces of his ruined career- but still refuses to accept his career is done. Oddly his supreme arrogance succeeds in drawing him closer to the audience! Purely because we want to just how a second chance would treat him. Or maybe it just because we love hearing “You’re Fucking Out!”

 

 

 

New Beginnings: Review of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

As an action character Jack Ryan has become a firm favourite of this genre ever since first Alec Baldwin then Harrison Ford brought him from page to the screen in his three memorable 90s flicks, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear & Present Danger. But Ryan has now been absent from our screen for over 11 years ever since the rather limp Ben Affleck effort, The Sum of All Fears. This year we turn to British Thespian, Kenneth Branagh to bring this character back to life by starting from the beginning in his reboot, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. But in a movie age dominated by Ethan Hunt, James Bond and Jason Bourne, how will brain box Ryan stand up? 

After a helicopter crash ends his promising military career, Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) is thrown a lifeline by veteran CIA officer Tom Harper (Kevin Costner) who recruits him to work within a special unit that observes Wall Street very closely! While working, Ryan stumbles across a series of illegal accounts belonging to Russian millionaire Viktor Cheverin (Kenneth Branagh) and soon it becomes clear that this man is intent of reducing America to ruins! But his role has put a strain on his relationship with girlfriend Cathy (Keira Knightley) who through complete accident becomes involved with his world!

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a decent reboot attempt and it gives this character a sound base in which to work from, but although this is a relatively entertaining ride, it doesn’t quite fit as perfectly as we had hoped. Ryan’s back story is only mentioned fleetingly in Red October and here we get to see it live- problem is that it doesn’t feel nearly explored enough and as we begin with Ryan witnessing 9/11 whilst in college and then enlisting. After his helicopter is hit, his rehab scenes are simply glossed over and never really get a true depiction of his difficult recovery. When Harper mysteriously appears with no real introduction, things feel a little too conveniently put together!

But one area that Branagh’s reboot does score some key points is in its realistic transition of Ryan going from being a desk jockey to a field agent. The man on display here is a nervous wreck after his first (and difficult) kill and isn’t used to making moves without confirmation, this is demonstrated in a funny sequence where he has to make his way down a staircase with Harper telling him when to move! Being a junior version of this character, he isn’t the resourceful and hard nosed character that Ford brought us so memorably, but this works in the films favour and we have to learn to like this character with all his faults as he strives towards perfection!

The centre romance between Ryan and his doctor lady Cathy doesn’t quite gleam like it should, but we are however given a girlfriend who most men would kill to have! Cathy rather than running a mile when she learns of his job, aides him in his efforts which includes going head to head with Cheverin! This is a girl who knows who to think fast and here we see a flicker of the Cathy that we will become such a rock to Ryan in the later movies- although they argue constantly, the pairs love is solid. Also this lady is an inventive one, evidences by her dropping everything and getting a Visa in less than four hours! Now that earns some kudos!

The action in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit feels a little bland and throughout we never feel the adrenaline rush we are supposed to, but this is just beginnings of this franchise and hopefully the newer efforts will raise more pulses. Also Cheverin is rather routine bad guy and although he is menacing whenever he appears, we don’t feel that he is any particular threat and would probably have been better placed during the original series two decades ago.

Chris Pine proves he is the new go to man for reboot and makes a good early impression as the new Jack Ryan and the sense of vulnerability he gives the character swerves him well in the long run. Will this man leave as lasting impression as Han Solo before him? Time will tell this, but for now he has made a good start! Kevin Costner makes for a great mentor figure and he is tasked with the movies more gritter aspects and through his coolness on screen, Costner succeeds admirably and for the future this could prove an inspired choice!

Against odds, Keira Knightley greatly impresses as Cathy and although some most likely frowned upon her inclusion, this gives evidence to the fact that Knightley can be good in blockbusters. Shame the same cant be said about Kenneth Branagh whose rather flavourless turn as Russian Cheverin makes him a forgettable villian!

There may have been a few bumps in the road, but Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is still solid fun and hopefully in future installments of this reworked franchise will make for similar and smart thrillers from what we are accustom to! Hello again Jack, nice to have you back on screen.

Kevin Costner: Worthy of Redemption?

People are frequently beating up on Kevin Costner these days, ok fair enough the man had a horrific mid 1990’s with expensive and critical failures Waterworld and The Postman and as a result his star has since wained from the megastar he was back in the day. But one thing people have forgotten about the California native is that he is still able to draw our attention when on screen. So to make us remember why we loved him so much, here are some reminders of how great he can be!

Great Kevin Costner Performances

1. Field of Dreams: This is the role for which Costner is most associated with and through his excellent and naturalistic performance as everyman farmer Ray Kinsella- the idea of the American Dream was beautifully captured as he risks everything to build a baseball diamond in his backyard to have the greats of the game come play! His reunion scene with his estranged father will go down as one the most touching scenes in cinema history and through Costner’s barely contained emotion- it comes alive!
2. Dances with Wolves: Kevin’s directorial debut was initially derided by many experts of the industry who dubbed it ‘Kevin’s Gate’ but numerous Oscar’s later, Costner had the last laugh as his star was born in Hollywood. As weary US Soldier Lt. Jim Dunbar, this proved one of his most profound and heroic performances as a man who comes to love and embrace the Indians he comes to encounter, which causes great friction among the military.
3. The Untouchables: In this early star making role, Costner excels as idealistic Treasury agent Eliot Ness who in Al Capone dominated Chicago- decides to make a brave stand that will bring an empire crumbling down. With top support from Sean Connery, Costner’s turns in one of his best turns going from by the book enthusiasm to realising that winning sometimes requires you to go against your beliefs- cue him cooly throwing Billy Drago headfirst from a rooftop!
4. JFK: Do you believe the second shooter theory in JFK? Public opinion will go on until the end of time, but alongside this there is a superb Costner performance as D.A Jim Garrison. With sheer conviction and authority, Costner instantly grips us on screen and although Garrison’s motives for pursuing this are questionable at best but nonetheless we cheer for him all the way through and in doing so Garrison brings forward a theory that will stun the public and shed a whole new light of what happened that fateful day in Dallas!
5. Bull Durham: There’s always an air of cool associated with many of Costner’s early performances but it was never better demonstrated than in Ron Sheldon’s baseball film. As veteran catcher Ray ‘Crash’ Davis, Costner has effortless charisma as the minor league who is still yearning for a shot at glory but is being forced to mentor hot shot pitcher Nuke (Tim Robbins)- his speech of the things he ‘believes in’ to Susan Sarandon goes down as one of sports best monologue and confirms that Baseball and Kevin- go very well together!

 

After his impressive supporting role as Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel, it proves that there is more to come from this man and that he has lost none of his effect on screen and here’s to hoping to a deserved return form for this man! We’re routing for you KC!

Taking Flight: Review of Man of Steel

Another reboot of Superman has been on the cards for sometime, but after Bryan Singer’s faithful but horribly cliqued Superman Returns back in 2006, fans were left slightly empty inside and his discovery, Brandon Routh has since fallen victim to the contagious disease known as ‘The Curse of Superman’. But when it was announced that Watchmen director, Zack Synder would take over helm of the man in the red cape, people began to believe order may yet be restored- and when Christopher Nolan came on board as producer, smiles grew even wider! But will the new addition Man of Steel live up to expectations? Or will Superman come crashing to earth yet again?

With the planet Krypton facing destruction during a coup by military leader General Zod (Michael Shannon), scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) chooses to send his son Kal-El, Krypton’s first natural-born child in centuries into space so he may bring hope to another planet. When his shuttle lands on earth, the baby is adopted by Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane). But as a boy the now named Clark struggles to keep his identity hidden, but when Zod emerges from exile 33 years later threatening earth it has become time for the adult Clark (Henry Cavill) to embrace his true calling and with the help of reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) save the human race!

To all die-hard Superman fans, I am happy to inform you that Man of Steel will make a fine addition into the Superman family and thankfully under the direction of Zack Synder this picture doesn’t aim to emulate the old Christopher Reeves films and instead sheds it skin and becomes its own film altogether. Here we see the a truly conflicted Clark who from a very young age is aware that he possesses a very ‘special’ set of skills but is told by daddy Jonathan to keep his anger in check and his real self hidden, no matter how many bullies push his buttons!  The clumsy and stumbling Kent that Reeve brought us so memorable is now a distant memory and the film is all the better for it and Synder has cleverly taken a leaf from Nolan’s book and allowed a legendary figure to grow into himself.

But it’s not just Kal-El that is changing colours, we also get to see a far more sassy Lois Lane who thanks to a great script by David S Goyer ditches the damsel in distress act and becomes a far tougher and resourceful lady. Zod as well is more formidable opponent and doesn’t need to resort to the hamminess that Terrence Stamp brought to the role and here the General knows for a fact that is stronger and cleverer than the humans he is facing- but he doesn’t need to convince people because the big ships he has would scare anyone! Also the father figures in Superman’s life are ones that make a significant difference as Jor-El lovingly tells him to give humanity a chance and become their saviour and Jonathan Kent teaches him that he has to choose a path in life and either choose to become his own man or forever hide in the shadows.

From the very beginning Man of Steel personifies a big movie experience and the production money has been worth the hefty budget and as we open on the downfall of Krypton, our eyes gaze in amazement as we see Zod bring a planet crashing down! But this moment isn’t the only huge battle you will witness as later we witness not one but two epic battles as Superman finally unleases his long repressed fury upon earth’s tormentors and brings many building crashing down as a result. Synder’s artistic flare for battle was hinted at during his movie 300, but here he gets to show what he can do with the right tools and although the finale is about  half an hour too long, it makes for tremendous viewing as Supes tries in vain to stop Zod’s runaway train of destruction.

As the infamous flying man, British actor Henry Cavill soars as Kal-El and after missing out on Bond and Batman, Cavill makes the most of the role of a lifetime and brings a great strength and humility to role and easily surpasses the efforts of Routh previously and has proven to be perfect casting! He is also given superb support by the ever consistent Amy Adams who bring across a less quirky Lois and instead gives a steely reporter who simply wants to save her job!

As Zod, Michael Shannon brings a great intensity to the screen and makes a solid case for villain of the summer- as we learned in The Iceman earlier this week, we have a new fascinating actor on our hands. In their brief roles, Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner are both incredibly touching as Superman’s father and leave a lasting impact throughout with their limited screen time.

Where Bryan Singer failed, Zack Synder has excelled and as a result has not brought us the best Superman in a long time but a candidate for the most entertaining film this summer. Man of Steel will be flying high in my end of year films, welcome back Kal-El we missed you!

When Two Tribes Go to War: The Untouchables Review

Classic from the Vault

The Untouchables (1987)

Director: Brian De Palma

By Alex Watson

These day’s people tend to snigger when they hear about a film starring Kevin Costner, after a golden start to his career things tailed off after his mega flop film Waterworld and his equally blasted adaptation of David Bein’s novel The Postman. But everyone tends to forget what a great presence he is on our screens and what charisma and heart he is able to bring to a character. There is no better time than to re-visit what is arguably his finest hour in Brian De Palma’s classic, The Untouchables.

Set in Chicago in the 1930’s the city is at the height of prohibition and gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro) runs the city with absolute power. To toughen up the law the US Treasury appoints Special Agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) to bring change to the city and to expel corruption within the Police Force. Initially his efforts are a failure due to cops being bribed and several busts going wrong as a result! But then Ness comes across Jim Malone (Sean Connery), an incorruptible Irish ‘beat cop’ and together they form a small band of similar officers including rookie George Stone (Andy Garcia) and accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) and together will bring down Capone!

The band of brother’s feel of The Untouchables is what truly gives it heart, all the way through they grow as a team and their tactics grow more refined. But more than anything we know they will always watch out for one another, no matter what the cost. Early on we see that Eliot Ness has been given a thankless job within the department. Cops change their loyalty like they change their clothes, and in short he cannot change Chicago.

After the introduction of Jim Malone Ness’ character beings to grow. Malone through his old school methods teaches Ness ‘The Chicago Way’, ” You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the ‘Chicago’ way! And that’s how you get Capone.”

Soon the four are able to strike fear into gangland as they hide the mob’s secret hideouts. As their notoriety increases, they come under Capone’s ever watching eye and very soon he has dispatched his creepy enforcer Frank Nitti (Billy Drago) to send a powerful message!

But also in The Untouchables there are moments that remind us just how brutal Capone’s reign, in one scene he casually walks around a dinner table holding a baseball bat talking how it is his favourite team game. Moments later he shockingly beats a fellow gang member to a bloody pulp in full view everyone. The message is clear to all- anyone that snitches won’t live to tell the tale! But as the four men get closer to Capone, their methods begin to match his.

One notable example happens when the men execute a daring raid on a whiskey deal at the Canadian border. When a mafia man refuses to talk and scoffs at their efforts, Malone grabs his dead associate and pretends to threaten into talking. To finally scare the man into submission, Malone blows a hole in the dead man’s head! This frightens the man into talking and by matching their enemy, they get the result they need!

Kevin Costner gives a fine performance as Ness. Although very bookish at the beginning, Costner as the film progress finds room to make Ness more assertive. His final showdown with Billy Drago gives us one of the coldest deaths in movie history!  But The Untouchables belongs to Sean Connery’s great turn as Malone. His grizzled veteran is as much teacher as he is father figure for Ness, Connery is the force that pushes the film into greater territory and for this he was rewarded with his only Oscar! Although Robert De Niro only features briefly as Capone, his presence is still a terrifying one. Capone has the city in his pocket and there is nothing he won’t do to keep himself in power!

For proof that there is life left in Costner then please check this out. De Palma’s film will keep you gripped from the very starts and features one of the greatest shootout sequences ever filmed! Chicago is a city in crisis and it needs a band of heroes. With Costner and Connery on the job- results are assured!