Field of Dreams

Starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones
Directed by Phil Alden Robinson
Year: 1989
IMDB / Wikipedia / Trailer

During the summer months you may have the opportunity to see a movie in the park. If it’s as good as this one, I suggest you do not pass up on the opportunity. 

It’s been a few weeks since I actually sat in a north Boulder park and watched this film with about 50 other people, but I can still write about this film with all of my emotion because I have seen it so many times. It was a landmark film, it touched everyone’s life–even if you didn’t like baseball, because it was so much more than just a film about a man who builds a baseball field in his corn field so the late, great “Shoeless” Joe Jackson‘s spirit could play baseball again. It’s a story of recapturing the past, cherishing it, and learning to believe in yourself as you look forward into the future.

Part of Costner’s unofficial baseball trilogy that includes Bull Durham and For Love of the Game, this story, like those, transcends sports and that’s part of what makes it great. It is about finding what we love about baseball inside of all of us. Some like the rhythm of the game, some like the aura of the past, while others see it in more quantifiable terms, regardless if it’s in dollars and cents or in batting averages and ERA. Baseball has a connection to everyone, whether they are a passive observer or a rabid fan, everyone can come away from this film with something. Watching it on a grassy field on an evening after fathers played catch with sons and people gathered in a picnic-style atmosphere, it was almost too perfect. Almost.

Most Valuable Actor: James Earl Jones, for many reasons, but mostly for this.

Babe

Starring James Cromwell and Christine Cavanaugh
Directed by Chris Noonan
Year: 1995
IMDB / Wikipedia

With my first family feature of this journey, I’m so glad it was Babe. Though I had never seen this film in its entirety before, I found it a delightful respite from my usual fare of comedies and heavy dramas. Those who know me know I’m a sucker for a good kid’s film and this one does not disappoint. Based on Dick King-Smith’s novel, The Sheep-Pig, this is a delightful movie that is a simple story, has good morals, and is very enchanting. Plus, there’s talking animals. Kids freakin’ love talking animals.

What I enjoyed the most was the central message of respect and kindness that is often lost in the stories we share with kids. Everything these days seems to be placed on an edge where sarcasm and one-line jokes have replaced common decency and kindness to one another. Instead of trying to understand one another, we simply try and talk over each other in a bid to one-up an adversary or even friends. This films teaches the old lesson that you can indeed catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Or, you can herd more sheep with a password than just being yourself. I don’t know. Just watch the movie, even if you don’t have kids.

Most Valuable Actor: Cromwell played the old farmer and his stoic, no-nonsense way of living was as delightful as any of the talking animals. He believed in hard work, honesty, and the sweet rewards of life. Though his lines are few, his sheer presence in a scene commanded attention and respect.

Trailer: