Major League (1989)::rating::3::rating::3::rating::3

M ajor League is a bawdy, disposable little sports movie. Long ago, I filed it away as Porky's at the Dugout. And thirty-plus years out, it's still all of those things. At the same time, I enjoyed revisiting Major League way more than I thought. For all its raunch and silliness, this movie also has a surprising…

ByTodd WoffordMay 2, 20220Comments

Latest

Moonfall (2022)::rating::2.5

M oonfall dwells in a weird limbo of mediocrity. I wish the script could've been a notch smarter, or else ten times dumber. The special effects might've been sharpened up a bit, or rendered hilariously incompetent. This talented cast could've been given some, you know, decent dialogue. Otherwise, they should've just farmed these roles out…

ByTodd WoffordApril 29, 20220Comments

The Archive The Podcast

Moneyball (2011)::rating::4.5

M oneyball spends just over two hours stripping the mythic grandeur from the game of baseball. Along the way, it also deconstructs the sweeping narrative hubris of the baseball movie itself. Instead of supernatural legends who smash out the stadium lights or the voice of God whispering over the corn crop, this film reduces the…

ByTodd WoffordApril 26, 20220Comments

The Archive

Marry Me (2022)::rating::3

M ovies like Marry Me ignite a battle within my soul. The cynical side of my personality wants to bash this thing with a tire iron, as I scream how dopey, dippy, and utterly ri-goddam-diculous it is. But go beyond my snarky outer shell, and you'll find that I'm basically one of those oversized teddy bears…

ByTodd WoffordApril 22, 20220Comments

The Archive The Podcast

The Sandlot::rating::3.5

I t’s a fascinating irony that The Sandlot began as an exercise in deep nostalgia. From its twinkly narration to the hoppin’ oldies on the soundtrack, the entire film is meant to evoke what was–for some–a simpler time, along with the guileless joys of being a child. Now, almost three decades after its release, children of the…

ByTodd WoffordApril 18, 20220Comments

Podcast The Archive

A League of Their Own (1992)::rating::4

A s with all the best baseball movies, A League of Their Own captures all the joys, monotonies, and superstitions of a long season. But unlike other classics of the genre, League also captures a significant-but-neglected piece of WWII history: With the MLB shut down for the war, a landmark professional league sprang up for women. In addition to…

ByTodd WoffordApril 13, 20220Comments

The Archive The Podcast

Bull Durham (1988)::rating::4

"This is a simple game. You throw the ball. You catch the ball. You hit the ball!" -- Skip Riggins, Manager of the Durham Bulls. T he irony of the above statement is that Bull Durham centers on two characters who embody the exact opposite of its sentiment. For Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) and Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon),…

ByTodd WoffordApril 6, 20220Comments

Laughable The Latest

Morbius (2022)::rating::1

M orbius achieves a rare double feat: Over the course of its punishing 104 minutes, Daniel Espinosa's middling, piddling vampire epic manages to be glum, but without any dramatic heft. At the same time, it's also groin-punchingly preposterous, but without a single ounce of kitschy fun. If good movies offer something for everyone, then Morbius serves up…

ByTodd WoffordApril 1, 20220Comments

Greatest The Archive

Cannonball Run II (1984)::rating::5

W hen Cannonball Run II smashed into theaters, the world simply wasn't ready for it. "Sheer arrogance made this picture," Roger Ebert noted, with extreme prejudice. And he's not wrong: Hal Needham's car-crash spectacular has all the elements of a vanity project gone haywire. Many scenes feel like Smokey and the Bandit crossed with Hollywood Squares, with a…

ByTodd WoffordApril 1, 20220Comments

The Latest

The Adam Project (2022)::rating::3

M odern filmmakers borrow so much from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Robert Zemeckis, I'm beginning to wonder if they've worked out some kinda payment plan for the royalties. Either that, or the studios figure our collective itch for the nostalgia of E.T., Goonies, and Back to the Future is so strong, they might scratch it with another big-budget homage.…

ByTodd WoffordMarch 30, 20220Comments