The Express

The Express

"This biopic focuses on the relationship of Ernie Davis (1939-1963), a gifted African-American athlete, and his coach from 1958 to 1962 at Syracuse University, Ben Schwartzwalder (1909-1993). Schwartzwalder recruits Davis with the help of All-American running back, Jim Brown. The civil rights movement is gaining steam; Davis experiences prejudice on campus, in town, and on the field, sometimes from teammates. How he handles it and how he challenges Schwartzwalder to stand up for his players provide a counterpoint to several great seasons that lead first to a national championship and then to the Heismann Trophy."

3.5 of stars

I feel like this movie is a victim of timing. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie and it can stand on its own laurels, but it's just too late for me. After the gold standards like Rudy and Remember the Titans, I think it's hard to put forth a really good football movie that doesn't seem formulaic. Unfortunately, this one does, but it really shouldn't diminish the movie as a whole. The film is pretty accurate as to what happened in Ernie Davis' life, so it's hard to count that as a strike against it. And the story itself is a very important one to tell. Ernie Davis was the first black man to win the Heisman Trophy. That happening in a sport that has so many strong ties to the 'Old South' really makes the accomplishment the biggest cultural event in sports since Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. But everything just doesn't come together in SUCH a way that it makes you feel like you're seeing a sports epic for the very first time.

I've been a fan of Rob Brown ever since Finding Forrester, and he delivers another solid performance. By his own right, Denis Quaid does a very good portrayal of legendary Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder. But again, it's just not enough to push the movie over the top for me. Inevitably it will be on TNT or TBS in the next year or two, and I definitely recommend sitting down for it, but it's just not one I would run out and rent the next chance I got.

Bang the Drum Slowly

Bang the Drum Slowly

"The story of a New York pro baseball team and two of its players. Henry Wiggen is the star pitcher and Bruce Pearson is the normal, everyday catcher who is far from the star player on the team and friend to all of his teammates. During the off-season, Bruce learns that he is terminally ill, and Henry, his only true friend, is determined to be the one person there for him during his last season with the club. Throughout the course of the season, Henry and his teammates attempt to deal with Bruce's impending illness, all the while attempting to make his last year a memorable one."


3.5 stars

I may sound like a spoiled little brat here, but it seems like movies didn’t have to be as good 30 years ago to be considered Oscar worthy. There was still a period where an idea could be really fresh because the movie medium itself was still relatively new. In addition, society still didn’t talk about certain things that were taboo, so a movie coming out and dealing with that issue very bluntly was considered a break through. And back then it probably was. But we’re really getting to the point where almost everything has been done, and we’ve seen it all before. That’s why I wasn’t blown away by this movie, but I guess I have to put it in perspective.

The story covers the final season of a dim-witted, Hodgkin’s diagnosed catcher for the ficticous NY Mammoths (basically they’re the Yankees in almost every way; I guess they just didn’t want to or couldn’t get the naming rights). His roommate is the Ace pitcher and all-American pretty boy Author Wiggin (Michael Moriarty). After being diagnosed, Author does everything he can to make sure Bruce (DeNiro) doesn’t get sent down to the minors, even giving up a substantial salary in the process.
I think the movie does a good job of capturing the feel of a major league club house in the 70s. It’s one of camaraderie and mutual respect that is usually left unsaid and mostly manifests itself through good humored ragging. But the movie is very sad. Bruce is ragged on pretty hard in the beginning and only do his fellow teammates start to give him respect when they find out about his illness, so we really don’t know if the care is genuine.

The comic relief comes in the form of the fiery manager who spends half of the movie conducting his own “investigation” to find out where Author and Bruce went during their trip to the Mayo Clinic. Author does a pretty good job of changing the story as he goes to keep the illness a secret as long as possible. As might be expected, the team finally comes together in the end to win the pennant, but a visually ailing Bruce is unable to travel with the team to the World Series. The movie ends pretty abruptly with Bruce dying and then jumping to the cemetery where Author is the only teammate to show up, which may answer the question about how genuine the teammates’ concern was.

All in all though, the movie delivers. We really do end up caring about Bruce and see the true devotion that Author has for him. And DeNiro’s acting is amazing. For those of us that have seen him in Goodfellas, the Godfather, and Analyze That you almost wouldn’t recognize him. He completely transforms himself into a dim witted southerner and he is completely believable. It is almost MORE impressive to me to see him this role after his more famous ones because it shows you just how big his range really is.

If nothing else watch the movie for the titular scene in which a silenced clubhouse listens to Piney Woods (the only teammate unaware of Bruce’s fatal condition) sing the stirring ballad of a cowboy: “Bang the drum slowly, play the pipe lowly / To dust be returning, from dust we begin / Bang the drum slowly, I'll speak of things holy / Above and below me world without end.”

Sugar

Sugar
"After he catches the eye of a scout while playing in his native Dominican Republic, baseball prospect Miguel "Sugar" Santos is recruited to play in the minor leagues in the Midwest, where he has difficultly adapting both on and off the field. As much a story about the promise of the American dream as it is about America's national pastime, this film dramatizes the hard lessons learned when hope and reality clash."

4 stars

I love baseball movies, but this isn't a movie only about baseball. It's the story of going from a big fish in a small pond to a very small fish in a very big pond. It's heartbreaking to watch Sugar more or less alone in a country where he doesn't understand the language (except for "fly ball," "home run, " and "I got it! I got it!"). The movie kind of derailed from my expectations in the end, but I like it when movies don't follow the canon. Because of this movie, I'll look at the guys in my local minor league games with a lot of respect. And even the major league guys - they work hard to get where they are.

Minus one point for using a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (even if it was in Spanish). That song has become a crutch for directors wanting to convey something emotional and weepy. It's a good song but over used.