Movie #398 - A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own
1992 - Rated PG - 2 hr 8 min
Director: Penny Marshall
Starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall, Bill Pullman, Megan Cavanagh, Rosie O'Donnell, Tracy Reiner, Ann Cusack, Bitty Schram

A pivotal movie from my youth... Girls can play sports! I remember how much I loved this movie, how I'd want to watch it over and over again.  And also how I'd quote it whenever possible.

"There's no crying in baseball!"  -- The valuable wisdom of Tom Hanks, boys and girls.  There is no crying in baseball, all true.

With a fantastic cast of vibrant characters and the perfect She-Ra strength of star Dottie Henson (thank you, Geena Davis), it's easy to see why this movie inspired so many of my young girlfriends to play baseball. Beyond the fun parts, there's also a really great story line here. A telling portrayal of two sisters, the younger always struggling to get her due and the older just trying to live her life. A heartbreaking reality of war-time America and the lengths people went to in order to go about "normal" life. These girls did much for the spirit of our country and should most definitely be celebrated in a movie like this.

It's always been a favorite, and now that I own it (finally), it will continue to be for a long time.

Movie #216 - Fracture

Fracture
2007 - Rated R - 1 hr 53 min
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Embeth Davidtz, Billy Burke

I can never remember this movie by its title, so when I saw it on the wall I didn't know if I'd seen it already.  But as soon as I started watching it, it all came back.  Maybe the title just doens't fit, that's why my brain doesn't make the association.

Anyway, this one's great.  Anthony Hopkins is a jilted husband who wants revenge on his wife and her lover.  He sets up what he thinks is the perfect crime, then sets up the perfect acquittal  by representing himself in court again Ryan Gosling and proving the evidence to be invalid again and again.  But as with any good movie, in the end, he gets what's coming to him...the fun is in watching to see where he missteps.

It's smart and clever, the kind of cerebral intrigue that's nice to see from Hollywood once in a while. Hopkins is great, no surprise, but Gosling holds his own against him.  Well done all around.

Movie #91 - The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum
Universal Pictures
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 55 min
Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Albert Finney, Edgar Ramirez

The thrilling conclusion to the action-packed trilogy... and it's pretty good, too!  Matt Damon - still awesome.  Now that Bourne's got a plan, and he's the one keeping everyone else on their toes, this last installment takes on a different tone.  Damon is fierce and relentless... two words I did not think I would use in a sentence with his name.  Yet, there it is.

I really like this whole trilogy from beginning to end and it was nice to have a reason to watch them all.  Seeing Bourne go from amnesia patient to bad-ass ex-operative with a vendetta is pretty sweet.  This whole trilogy is just fun to watch.