(M) Eight Men Out. (John Sayles, 1988) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Based upon the novel by Eliot Asinof, Eight Men Out is the story of the infamous White Sox 1919 deliberate lost of the World Series. It destroyed the careers of many baseball players who could have become legends like Joseph “Shoeless” Jefferson Jackson. It was an interesting look into what baseball was back in the day and how it has become what it is now. The film was entertaining but I think the subject matter really drove the interest of the film. The movie was loaded with stars like Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen, David Strathairn, John Cusack (hot!) and D.B. Sweeney (cute).

(M) The History Boys. (Nicholas Hytner, 2006) Grade: C

Thoughts: Based upon the play by Alan Bennett, the film is about a group of unruly boys who are smart and clever and trying to pass their entrance exam into Harvard or Cambridge. The ensemble cast is wonderful and the some of the original actors from the play reprise their roles in the film. The problem I had is the same problem I have with most plays/musicals crossover into film in that the effect gets lost. Plays/musicals rely so much on the actors to express the scenes but in movies you have the freedom of a set and background to do that. At some parts the movie felt like it was dragging and stuff could have been taken out. On the plus side, they used a lot of 80’s music and there were some hot British guys so there is that.

(M) The Big Lebowski. (Joel Coen, 1998) Grade: ?

Thoughts: I'm still trying to figure out the point to this film. The Big Lebowski has cult film written all over it. The cast is amazing from Jeff Bridges, John Goodman to Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore. I just had a hard time caring about anything in the film. This might be another Donnie Darko for me where everyone loves it and I'm still trying to figure out why.

Movie count: 58