Reworking a masterpiece as MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Mad Max: Fury Road is a reboot of sorts by director George Miller of his original Mad Max trilogy, and he has lost none of his power. Given a canvas of desert expanse and a terrific cast including Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, Miller totally reimagines a post apocalyptic world ruled by a ruthless gangs in weaponized vehicles who horde scarce resources.  Essentially structured as one extended chase over the course of the entire film, Miller extends his masterpiece sequence from The Road Warrior and embellishes it with super, spectacular action scenes, outrageous stunt work, and special effects. But what this visual stunner never loses sight of is the redemptive human element and how a group of disparate and desperate characters can bond together for a greater good and reveal a bit of humanity in a cruel, barren world. An outstanding piece of filmmaking that transcends its genre.

A Mother and Son’s Bond in ROOM

In the emotional film Room, the unthinkable becomes a way of life for Joy (Brie Larson) and her five year old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) whose existence consists of a room with one skylight window. Under the control and prisoner of a mysterious man, she must not only endure an abusive relationship but shield her child from the horror. It is this bond between mother and child and the dawning hope and reality of a world outside their existence that forms the core of this heart wrenching drama. This features not one (Larson) but two Oscar worthy performances with Tremblay a revelation. It is a haunting study of a mom's love and a child's self discovery. Thoughtful and memorable.

The Art of Denial in THE BIG SHORT

A fascinating microcosm of the financial world gone amuck and its subsequent collapse is detailed in The Big Short, based on the best seller by Michael Lewis (Moneyball). An ensemble cast (Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt) excels at depicting the few who saw the mortgage industry on the brink of failure and decided to take a huge risk by betting against Wall Street and potentially netting an enormous windfall in profit. Soon a picture emerges of a broken, corrupt system driven by phenomenal greed and ultimately undermined by subprime mortgages while the rest of the world was oblivious or in denial. It's a remarkable, factual chronicle that registers tension, macabre humor, and disbelief, and even though you know what's coming, it thoroughly engages its audience. One of the best films of the year.

CAROL and the Power of Love

Carol is an acting showcase for Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara under the sensitive direction of Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven). A frustrated housewife with a broken marriage meets a young female store clerk and the two are drawn to each other amid 1950's America. It is essentially about two lonely souls searching for comfort and happiness amid overwhelming social and personal adversity. Stylistically it shares much in common with the classic Technicolor melodramas of the decade (Peyton Place, Magnificent Obsession) with sumptuous period set details and costume design. Among the likely Oscar nominations for this thoughtful, fine film, count on acting nods for Blanchett and Mara; acting doesn't get much better than this.

The Promise of JOY

 

Joy, the latest pairing of director/writer David Russell and Jennifer Lawrence, is an entertaining and at times fascinating take on the real life rags to riches story of inventor Joy Mangano whose desire to create an invention and better her existence is stifled with a thoroughly dysfunctional family and the seemingly insurmountable challenges and heartbreak of starting her own business. Although this film is not quite as strong as American Hustle or Silver Linings Playbook, it showcases Lawrence's acting prowess in an Oscar caliber performance as a woman who empowers herself against tremendous odds. If you like Jen, go see it. She won't disappoint.

Abrams’ Triumph in STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS

 

I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the Uptown Theater with some hardcore fans/friends/family. The film is very good with plenty of reverence for the original trilogy especially in its style and spirit. There are rousing action scenes and moments of poignancy and yes, sadness. Director J. J. Abrams has achieved the right mix of respect and embracing the Star Wars legacy while forging new directions for the franchise that offers some startling surprises. The classic cast blends seamlessly with the engaging new faces. There are plenty of funny lines of dialogue that enrich a well written screenplay.  I already knew halfway that this film was way better than the prequels.  It is among the better Star Wars films and ranks probably just below The Empire Strikes Back.  In fact when it ended on a memorable shot.  I wished it could still go on.  If you loved Star Wars:A New Hope, then go see this one-it is your destiny.  seamlessly with the engaging new faces. There are plenty of funny lines of dialogue that enrich a well written screenplay. I already knew halfway that this film was way better than the prequels. It is among the better Star Wars films and ranks probably just below The Empire Strikes Back. In fact when it ended on a memorable shot, I wished it could still go on. If you loved Star Wars: A New Hope, then go see this one-it is your destiny.

The Brilliance of SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight is the best film about investigative journalism since All the President's Men. Based on actual events in 2001,The Boston Globe newspaper explored supposed molestations by local priests and the cover up of these crimes. The team of reporters uncovered a vast conspiracy of lies and silence amid a growing list of victims over the decades. Told in a non-sensationalistic, methodical narrative, the story starts as a mystery that unfolds bit by bit until the scope of the scandal grows to unconscionable proportions. Director/Writer Tom McCarthy has meticulously documented a tragic moment in history with support by a wonderful ensemble cast including Liev Schreiber, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Ruffalo. Rarely has journalism been so realistically portrayed on film. The screenplay has Oscar written all over it.

BRIDGE OF SPIES and Its Fascinating History Lesson

I finally saw Bridge of Spies, and Steven Spielberg should keep making films inspired by true events and people. If only movies could be this compelling and well made. This chronicle of the capture of a Soviet spy during the height of the Cold War (and erecting of the Berlin Wall) and the American lawyer (James Donovan) who must defend him parallels the loss of a US spy plane and its pilot Francis Gary Powers over Russia resulting in a tense game of posturing and negotiations that Donovan must maneuver to secure an exchange of prisoners. Tom Hanks has one of his greatest roles as Donovan who had to operate without official sanction amid a political minefield of uncertainty and distrust. No one comes as close to the spirit of Jimmy Stewart as Hanks these days. The period flavor of the late 1950s and its Red scare paranoia is convincingly reenacted from a terrific script aided in part by the legendary Coen brothers. This is not only a fascinating history lesson but one of the best films of the year. Oscar nominations are virtual locks for Hanks, Spielberg, Best Picture, and for Mark Rylance as a wily spy.

Surviving THE MARTIAN

 

You might wonder why Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain would do another major scifi space film so soon after Interstellar. Maybe it was the great story based on a best selling novel. Abetted by a very strong ensemble cast (including Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Kate Mara) and under the kinder, gentler hand of director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down), The Martian is a compelling tale of survival and human spirit. (Yes, it is almost the flipside of Gravity.)  Matt Damon shines in a role that is demanding physically and emotionally as the ill-fated astronaut marooned on Mars who must find resourceful ways to grow food and much more.  (You will never look at a new plant the same way again.)

What sets this apart from others is its sheer goodwill in emphasizing the intelligence and ingenuity of experts who want to do right. There are also no villains here, and that in itself is refreshing.  The filmmakers have also painstakingly made this film scientifically plausible.  Scott has previously made two of the greatest scifi movies, Alien and Blade Runner.  With this, he has perfected the trifecta. 

Feeling INSIDE OUT

 

If you haven't already done so, do see Pixar's Inside Out. It oozes creativity and imagination and as Pixar does so well, has a strong storyline brilliantly conceived. Such a simple premise of a child's inner feelings as personified by Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear when her family relocates to a new city becomes an engaging tale of childhood amid the nostalgia of memories and moments in time. Amy Poehler leads a wonderful cast of voices and this film builds its plot slowly and deliberately to an emotional wallop. A children's film made for adults. Pixar has made great films before and this one stands among its pantheon. Bravo, Pixar!

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE:ROGUE NATION Soars with Cruise

 

If Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol raised the bar on the franchise adaptation of the venerable TV series, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation maintains its high. Tom Cruise is a movie star and showman, and he gives this film his all in sheer conviction and physical action in breath taking stunts on land, sea and air. The convoluted plot has the IMF being disbanded by Congress while an evil organization, The Syndicate, represents a mirror image of the IMF, and its mastermind is out to target Ethan Hunt (Cruise). Some of the old gang like Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames and new faces Alec Baldwin and standout Rebecca Ferguson shine in support. Replete with well constructed suspense, the spectacular action set pieces open with that famous shot of Cruise hanging on for dear life outside a plane taking off. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (the Usual Suspects script) keeps everything humming along. Mission accomplished!

The Pleasures of TRAINWRECK

 

Trainwreck is at times a bit raunchy and bawdy, but at its core it is a deeply felt story of a broken person (Amy Schumer) whose philandering ways with men turns the traditional male playboy stereotype on its head. While writing a magazine article, she meets a sports doctor (Bill Hader) who stirs feelings within her and challenges her fear of commitment. Can Amy hope to find happiness in this crazy mixed up world? The journey is part of the fun aided by a strong supporting cast let by Tilda Swinton, Colin Quinn, and LeBron James as well as some cute cameos by SNL regulars. Top comedy director Judd Apatow guides a wonderful (Oscar worthy) script by Schumer with surprisingly heartwarming and hilarious results. Above all, it is a star making turn by an extremely bright talent, Amy Schumer.

ANT-MAN the Little Giant

 

Ant-Man was a risky venture even for Marvel but then so was Guardians of the Galaxy. Both films exhibit comedy mixed with the right amount of origin story and action. Both never lose sight of strong plotting and characters. The result might not be as smashing as Guardians, but this is certainly the most family friendly entertainment form Marvel yet. Paul Rudd is perfect as the title character and injects a nice infusion of humor and everyman believability. The shrinking effects are stunning. (Will someone finally do a remake of Fantastic Voyage?!) Michael Douglas is very convincing as a mentor and there are nice tie-ins to the bigger Marvel world for fans. You might think twice about ants after this one; I mean it! And do stay for two post credit scenes.

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON: More is Less

 

The Avengers:Age of Ultron is a slam bang action filled adventure and continuation of the Marvel Cinematic world and a sequel to 2012's The Avengers. James Spader lends the ideal gravitas as the menacing Ultron who is created by Tony Stark with the best of intentions only to see a modern day Frankenstein that evolves and replicates itself to threaten the world. We still have the main cast led by Capt. America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye supplemented by some familiar faces and a couple new ones that have implications for the future. Add to this the wild card twins, Quicksilver and Wanda, whose powers are formidable. This is a darker, more grown up Avengers, and while the action borders on Transformers-like destruction and the quiet moments in the middle threaten to slow things down a tad, the whole thing works with some nice moments and more than a few memorable lines. Director/Writer Joss Whedon pulls off quite a feat by successfully juggling so many characters amid a moralistic tale of peace at any cost and its consequences. This has themes that will carry over to Captain America: Civil Wars next year. For me personally this is a thrill to see storylines and characters I grew up reading in my comic books brought to life on the big screen so convincingly! Not quite the achievement of its predecessor, but quite good.

 

Some Early Halloween Scares

It's a special time of the year with Halloween falling on a Saturday! So I wanted to share some early film moments that scared the heck out of me. Granted some things seemed much scarier as a child, rewatching these films still rekindles those thrills and memories. I probably saw more old horror scifi movies on Chiller type tv than any other genre at the time.

The silent Nosferatu features the most terrifying vampire moment as he ravages a ship.

The opening moment with Boris Karloff coming alive in The Mummy scared the you know what out of me.

 

That swimming pool scene in Cat People got in my head.

I couldn't stand the look on the hero's face when he kisses his girlfriend in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

It the Terror from Beyond Space had a lethal space monster that had me covering my eyes (I was very impressionable as a child). Its loose remake as Alien had me at its mercy especially the hatching egg scene.

Carrie has the showstopper surprise in the last few frame that to this day still makes me jump.
Certainly other films had more shock value and gore but scary is special. These were just some of mine.

2015 MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention

The 2015 MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, MD, was a fascinating collection of movie and TV stars of the past highlighted by a very special reunion of the principal actors of TV's The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman (Lee Majors, Lindsay Wagner, and Richard Anderson). Despite the cancellation of The Wild Wild West star, Robert Conrad and Dean Stockwell, there were stars aplenty and many vendors. 

Lee Majors responded to my admiring his role as a mentor on the 1st season cliffhanger of the wonderful action series Human Target. He liked that role and lamented the changes in the 2nd season which doomed the series among other things. He looked great but moved a bit gingerly having done so many stunts himself on The Six Million Dollar Man. 

Lindsay Wagner looked terrific, and I told her so. She is a vegetarian who made the change in her diet due to concerns about her health.  As an inspiration to so many women and girls, when asked who inspired her, she responded Anne Bancroft (the Oscar winning actress). 

  

During the panel session, all three primary stars of the two shows were together for perhaps the last time as Richard Anderson is getting on in years, at age 89.  He was recounted stories of Hollywood past and even turned to Lee Majors and said, "Pal" which was his Oscar Goldman trademark saying and the audience sighed in appreciation.

 

Angela Cartwright had cancelled her appearance at last year's convention and made it this year to the thrill of many fans especially me.  I loved what may have been a highlight episode of the Lost in Space series for her character Penny-My Friend Mr. Nobody which she liked as well.

  

This was certainly the biggest convention yet for the now 10 year anniversary for the event. Thanks to Martin Grams and his team for a fun and memorable show. Thanks to Laura for her feedback and help. Cannot wait for what comes next year!  

Father's Day

This is the first Father’s Day I will have without my dad who passed away earlier this year.  Now normally the families would get together for lunch or dinner and that would be a nice moment. Now such moments carry a bit of melancholy since I have a family yet my own father is gone. This is how things go in life and while it hurts, I have a feeling of the now with my family and the past with my dad. 

When I was a child, I watched on many occasions The Wizard of Oz on TV and being moved to tears at the end every time.   I remember my dad taking the family to see a new movie whether it be My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, or Mary Poppins.  Because of his affiliation with the US Naval Research Lab, we even saw a special preview of 2001: A Space Odyssey at the Uptown Theater in D.C. which was a stunner and very confusing to a young boy.  My dad took my younger brother and me to see a double feature of James Bond movies, Thunderball and From Russia with Love, and I was hooked on Bond forever.   He was a big Dean Martin Show fan and when the Matt Helm movies came out, we all saw The Silencers and Murderer’s Row, pale Bond imitations.  When I supervised the college movie theater at UMD College Park, mom and dad came up to see Moonraker as dad was a fan of Roger Moore from TV’s The Saint. 

I even remember my first and only drive-in movie that featured a triple bill of The Satan Bug-reasonably exciting, The Train-boring for a kid, and Get Yourself a College Girl featuring the Dave Clark Five-I didn’t get it.  He took us to see Batman the movie based on the hit TV show and it was lame.  I recall my dad taking my brother and me to Cabaret which was powerful and really adult themed. 

 

Pretty soon, I was able to see most movies on my own as I would be dropped off to a theater by myself, and it was a new era for movie watching for me.  We would still see movies together but less frequently.  Even rewatching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or The Empire Strikes Back was fun to see them with dad.  He and my mom saw Terminator 2 and he liked it which surprised me pleasantly because this was a man who was a physicist and would pick apart any movie’s technical inaccuracies. We saw Glory together and it was a moving experience.  We saw a movie based on my dad’s love of graphic novels of Chinese super heroes and fantasy like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and in the past would see imported Chinese sword and martial arts films that were actually quite good even though some were over the top.  My dad even took us to see Enter the Dragon which was the culmination of Bruce Lee’s prowess in kung fu. Speaking of which, we loved TV’s Kung Fu with its action and philosophy. One of the last movies my brother and I watched with my dad was Lincoln.

 

 

TV watching was a huge thing in our household and I remember the old black and white sets with manual channel knobs and no remote control-we would wear out the knobs and have to get a new one, or the TV would break down and we would go shopping for a new transistor tube at the local drug store.  We got our first color TV later on and it was glorious!  I grew up vividly recalling early 1960s shows like The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Combat.  My dad often liked the same shows as me although once in a while he would watch something I really didn’t care for or tolerated.  For example, he loved The Lawrence Welk Show which had old standards and ended with the maestro dancing at the end of the show with a bevy of older women.  It was a tradition for many years.  The Wonderful World of Disney was a staple on Sundays which usually started out with Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins. It was also the mainstay of Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea at 7PM which would have our family having dinner that night usually at a Chinese restaurant or the local Hot Shoppes and my dad faithfully rushing us back to catch the beginning of my favorite sci-fi TV show (this when there were no VCRs.) In fact I couldn’t get enough of Allen’s sci-fi shows like Lost in Space or the short lived The Time Tunnel. The Outer Limits scared the crap out of me! Yet I could not get into Alfred Hitchcock Presents even though I liked his movies. 

 Mondays was usually the domain of  one of my dad’s favorites, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In (which foreshadowed Saturday Night Live.) CBS comedies were very popular in our home like Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, Gomer Pyle, and The Beverly Hillbillies.  I remember Friday was a comedy block of The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Nanny and the Professor, The Odd Couple, and Love American Style.  Comedy was big in our home as the fantasy ones ruled like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and My Favorite Martian. 

Saturday mornings were so much fun and I would get up early just to watch my favorite cartoon like Underdog or any of a number of Hanna Barbara regulars. I started collecting comic books early on especially since I loved all things with dinosaurs. I had plastic small dinosaurs and models and watched movies with dinosaurs.  I had books and studied about all things dinosaurs and loved going to the museums in Chicago and D.C. to see the dinosaur skeleton exhibits.  I loved buying those G.I. Combat comics showing soldiers battling dinosaurs! After a while my dad suggested I buy something other than just dinosaurs and so I picked up a super hero one and thus was born my love for DC and ultimately Marvel comics.  Imagine reading and salivating over Captain America and The Avengers with storylines that are now being made into blockbuster movies, and my dad is partly to blame (or praise). Even old repeats of The Adventures of Superman and later watching The Six Million Dollar Man were part of this appeal.

Saturday evening was a lock with All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show (and its model That Girl), The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show (with Harvey Korman busting up at Tim Conway’s brilliance.) In fact variety shows were huge and Ed Sullivan Show, The Red Skelton Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The Jackie Gleason Show and The Honeymooners, and The Andy Williams Show were staples in my household. The earliest recollections I had were of Sing a Long with Mitch Miller and his singers.  

 

I remember watching TVs Batman and my dad and I thought it was the coolest thing and so did he! Westerns were popular like Gunsmoke and Bonanza, but he and I preferred The Wild Wild West. In fact it was part of the spy genre of the Bond films and The Man from UNCLE was terrific fun!  Get Smart and Agent 99 appealed to my dad. The British import of The Avengers especially with Diana Rigg showed a female agent way way ahead of her time. Mission Impossible was so innovative and tense those first few years, and we loved it!  Police shows were big too like the indestructible Hawaii Five-O and the early private eyes like 77 Sunset Strip, Peter Gunn, Burke’s Law (he loved Gene Barry) and Honey West were cool, and Mannix was THE Gumshoe! He liked the intelligence of Columbo (and NBC Mystery Movies with McCloud and McMillan and Wife) and loved to watch Angie Dickinson in Police Woman. He even liked Hee Haw and The Golddiggers mostly because of the pretty female stars.

 

The evening news was usually centered on the most trusted man on the news, Walter Cronkite.  Of course the local evening news was always centered on newscasters like Gordon Peterson and Max Robinson and sports with Warner Wolf-what a great team! We would watch the latter’s show about the Redskins.

 

Late night TV was dominated by The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and we loved his monologues which sometimes bombed and we waited for him to do the soft shoe dance when this happened. I loved some of the routines he would do like Ed McMahon claiming that Johnny’s small book on his desk had “everything you would want to know about a random subject” and Johnny retorting, “You are wrong bated breath” or some joke.  It got so I wanted to stay up later but often had school the next day and thus began my night owl habits. Sometimes my dad and I would fight over my staying up late-imagine that! I eventually had a TV in my room and would sneak watch late shows, and finally my dad got wise and would come up later and feel the back of the set to see if it was still warm!

I saw many movies that came to TV during that period and into the 1970s.  It was sort of a cinematic education for me and nurtured a love for film that continues to this day.  

Then there are the moments in film and TV that make you feel emotions and memories about my dad.  A couple titles come readily to mind, and one may have directly influenced the other; TV’s The Twilight Zone episode, Walking Distance, about a man walking back to his childhood town and meeting his dad and compare that to Field of Dreams and its deep sentiment of a father and son bonding amid Americana.  Both of these, and I’m sure there are others, touched my heart and soul, and since my dad’s passing will forever stay with me and have an added meaning.

The last thing we watched together was the Super Bowl which he paid attention to intently, and it felt good to share a quality few hours with him as we had over 40 years before as we would watch the Washington Redskins on TV during the George Allen glory days.   I realize and treasure the bonds of watching a movie or TV show with my dad and laughing and watching him laugh too that are irreplaceable memories.  Thank you dad.

 

 

Awesome Con -The More the Merrier!

 

I attended my first Awesome Con in Washington DC this past weekend. Held at the DC Convention Center and featuring dozens of TV and film stars of the scifi/fantasy/comic book genres, there were endless booths with vendors that heavily featured artwork, comic books, and related merchandise.  Among the notables were Michael Biehn (Aliens), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings) Julie Adams (Creature from the Black Lagoon), and many TV cult series stars from shows like Dr. Who. Many attendees were dressed as their favorite super hero or star. 

The highlight was a couple of stars from the original Star Trek show, William Shatner (who left early) and George Takei (Mr. Sulu).  Takei signed posters, posed for fan photos, and spoke before an appreciative audience about his career, acting with John Wayne, advocating equal rights, and the new Star Trek movies.  He was engaging, personable, and amusing with his signature catchphrase, "Oh my!"

OSCAR PREDICTION FOR 2014 FILMS

OK, I am finishing up at the last minute as many Oscar worthy titles as possible.  Everything ground to a halt when my father passed away recently, but he liked movies and knew I loved them so I carry on the tradition. 

PICTURE-Boyhood over Birdman by a feather (American Sniper is the wild card possibly)

ACTOR-Eddie Redmayne of The Theory of Everything but I absolutely loved Michael Keaton in Birdman

ACTRESS-Julianne Moore of Still Alice 

SUPPORTING ACTOR-J. K. Simmons of Whiplash

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-Patricia Arquette in Boyhood

DIRECTOR-Alejandro G. Inarritu for Birdman for out-innovating everyone except Richard Linklater ‘s Boyhood

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY-The Grand Budapest Hotel

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY-The Imitation Game

ANIMATED FEATURE-Big Hero 6 but How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a strong contender

FILM EDITING-Boyhood
                                                                                                  
CINEMATOGRAPHY-Birdman

PRODUCTION DESIGN-The Grand Budapest Hotel

ORIGINAL SCORE-The Theory of Everything

ORIGINAL SONG-Glory from Selma

SOUND EDITING-American Sniper

SOUND MIXING- American Sniper

COSTUME DESIGN-The Grand Budapest Hotel

MAKEUP& HAIRSTYLING- The Grand Budapest Hotel

VISUAL EFFECTS-Interstellar  but the titles are all mind boggling

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM-Ida           

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE-Citizenfour

Various SHORTS-who cares?

Grand Budapest Hotel and possibly American Sniper have momentum but the awards should be heavily divided among several films.

Field of Dreams and Its Everlasting Power

So I catch the last 30 minutes of Field of Dreams on TCM. I saw this with close friends when it first opened in 1989. It was a wonderful film filled with mystery, drama, humor, and magic, but when the end came and it all came to fruition, we were stunned by the emotional bond and the answer to the cryptic voice, "If you build it he will come." We were all blubbering wrecks, grateful for reconnecting with our inner selves and with each other's shared experiences. It mattered... not how old or young or what sex or what ethnic background, every one of us was affected. How a simple fable could have such power can only be summed up by a fortuitous confluence of writer, director, acting and sheer inspiration. I have watched parts or all of the film over the years, always drawn to its glow and shamelessly tearing up by the end. Tonight, as I sit (with a bit of melancholy that my two local baseball teams , The Nats and Orioles didn't make it through the playoffs,) on the eve of a David vs Goliath kind of World Series between the Royals and Giants, the film has just concluded. It has been 25 years since it first played. It doesn't feel like it. I still have tears in my grateful eyes.