Bull Durham

I came home the other night to find my stepbrother asleep with the TV on and the beginning of Bull Durham playing out. I had never seen this baseball movie and knew it was about time. So I fought back sleep and watched the movie.
I think bad ass aptly sums it up. Bull Durham makes it clear that men can make a living and still never grow up. This is mostly a kids movie for balding 40-year-olds.
Tim Robbins plays Nuke, the character that progresses most throughout the film with the help of the team catcher, Crash (Kevin Costner) and a local lady, Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon). Nuke is a new pitcher who just joined the roster for the Durham Bulls. The Bulls are one step below the major leagues or "The Show" as it is nick-named. Crash takes the new pitcher under his wing to try and hone in his strong arm. Annie does much of the same off the diamond and in the bedroom. Between the two of them, they teach him the rituals, superstitions, and mannerisms of professional baseball.
I understand why my dad has pushed me to watch this movie since I was 7. The words of wisdom my father has bestowed on me since I had comprehension are, "You're only young once but you can be immature for the rest of your life." It all comes together now. Baseball is his childhood relived. That is the attitude around the game. Men can be boys.
I was skeptical when I heard Bull Durham was voted best baseball film of all time. I figured it would be a more epic portrayal of the game like Field of Dreams. But the heart and soul of this film best represents baseball on and off the field.

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29

Playing at the Kimball Theatre this week is Harvard Beats Yale 29-29. This documentary tells the story of an infamous November 1968 matchup between the two schools’ football teams. Through interviews and an old copy of the game, filmmaker Kevin Rafferty lets the players tell what they went through on the field as well as off the field.

Rafferty was able to interview most of the players on both the Harvard and Yale teams. He interviewed the stars, key players, and Tommy Lee Jones; who played on the Harvard squad that year. Also on the Crimson squad was George Bush’s roommate while he was at Harvard. These interviews give you an insight into familiar characters as well as the players who made this game such a memorable one.

The simplicity of this film is noticeable right away. As shown in the credits, Kevin Rafferty directed, produced, filmed, and edited the film by himself. While there aren’t any graphics or sound effects, the film doesn’t require any. Rafferty lets the material stand by itself. Giving us this film with no frills tells the audience the director is confident with his material and he thinks the story is strong enough naked.

Although this film’s outcome it apparent upon seeing the trailer, it doesn’t detract from the tension. You saw this recently in Slumdog Millionaire. In the end, Harvard and Yale end up tied at 29. This detail helps build suspense because with 42 seconds left, the game wasn’t close. While the director drags out those 42 seconds, you are thinking, “No this is impossible!” As the seconds count off, the tension grows wondering how they are going to do it. I won’t spoil it but the score ends up 29-29.

Also in the film was Dr. George Bass, an Associate professor of Education at William and Mary played left tackle for Yale at the time. Even though he was injured early in the game, Bass remembers the experience fondly and thought the film was a great representation of what happened that day. Since he was on crutches the coach told him to head towards the locker room with only a minute left and Yale up by 16. By the time he had made it to the other end zone, Harvard had scored and recovered their onside kick. He remembers being dumbfounded that they did not win. But like other players on the Yale squad, he knows the game would not be remembered today if it had not ended in a tie.

Taylor Roesch