Top 10 Baseball Movies

Today is a magical day! It's Opening Day, finally! After 5 long months without baseball, today the wait is over. I LOVE Opening Day! It's everything that's great about baseball: afternoon ball games, kids ditching school to watch the games, adults ditching work, the fireworks, the player introductions, the first chance to second-guess the manager, the play-by-play calls, the Web Gems, the 1st pitch, the 1st strikeout, and the 1st Home Run that makes every fan in the park go wild. Today, all 30 teams have their hopes high. On this day, every team believes it can win the World Series, because if they've seen just one Baseball Movie, they'll know that anything is possible.

A perfect example of this is the Cleveland Indians team from "Major League". That team goes from being on the verge of relocation to Miami at the start of the season, to reaching the playoffs at the end of the season. How about the Minnesota Twins in "Little Big League", or the California Angels in "Angels in the Outfield"? Hell, if the Chicago Cubs can win the World Series in "Rookie of the Year", you better believe that anything is possible.

This is what I love about Baseball Movies. They take the sport I love most, and give it an extra magical touch that only Hollywood can provide. Since baseball is already the most magical sport that exists, then it stands to reason that there would be so many classic Baseball Movies, more than with any other sport. With that in mind, I created a list of my Top 10 Baseball Movies, with every movie consisting of 2 things: lots of magic, and lots of baseball. I guess there's only one thing left to say: PLAY BALL!!!

P.S. Go Braves!

10) Field of Dreams (1989) (dir. Phil Alden Robinson)

Starring: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, Frank Whaley

*Nominated for 3 Academy Awards, including Best Picture

*The most magical of all Baseball Movies. Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer, hears a voice that instructs him to build a baseball field on his land("If you build it, he will come."). "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and the rest of the 1919 Black Sox come to play, leading to the conclusion that there must not be any Baseball fields in heaven, or hell. In the final scene, Ray finally gets to play "catch" with his dad. 

*This film was released in the same year that Pete Rose received his lifetime ban from Baseball for betting on the game(the same offense as the Black Sox). I wonder if he watches this film and says: "At least I know I'll get to play in Iowa when I die."

9) Fever Pitch (2005) (dir. Peter & Bobby Farrelly)

Starring: Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, the 2004 Boston Red Sox

*A pretty good love story between Ben, the schoolteacher, and Lindsey, the workaholic. The problem is that Ben is a die-hard fanatic of the Red Sox, and no relationship with a woman can ever match the one he has with the Sox. You can overlook Fallon's many shortcomings as an actor, since his geeky demeanor actually fits the character pretty well. This is the least "Farrelly" of all the Farrelly movies. It is basically a romantic comedy with not as many laugh-out-loud moments as their other classics. However, they really succeed in showing us the fan's perspective inside one of baseball's Cathedrals: Fenway Park.

*In what can only be described as magical timing, the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 for the first time in 86 years, and the filmmakers changed the ending to the film, and actually got to film during the team's on-field celebration after the final out of the World Series.

8) Moneyball (2011) (dir. Bennett Miller)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt

*Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture

*The story of Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane, and how he started a Sabermetric revolution in Major League Baseball, with the help of his fictional assistant, Peter Brand(Jonah Hill). The movie is low on on-field action, but it goes behind the scenes to show us what the GM of the team with the lowest payroll in the league has to go through to put together a contender. It's worth a viewing just for the Trade Deadline Day scene.

*In order to make its point, the movie fails to mention a very important detail. The 2002 Oakland A's actually had a very solid roster, with 3 of the best Starting Pitchers in the league, and the American League MVP, Miguel Tejada. But still, Sabermetrics helped.

7) The Bad News Bears (1976) (dir. Michael Ritchie)

Starring: Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neill, Jackie Earle Haley, Vic Morrow

*A lovable bunch of misfits, coached by a former minor league baseball player, Morris Buttermaker, makes it all the way to the championship game against the Yankees. They get that far thanks to Buttermaker's recruiting of sharp-tongued 12 year old girl pitcher Amanda Whurlitzer, and neighborhood troublemaker Kelly Leak. Not surprisingly, they both fit right in.

*Classic ending with The Bears celebrating their loss to The Yankees on the field. "Hey Yankees ... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!"

6) Nine Innings From Ground Zero (2004)

Starring: the 2001 New York Yankees & Arizona Diamondbacks. Narrated by Liev Schreiber

*HBO documentary about the Yankees' 2001 postseason, after the devastating events of September 11th, 2001 in New York. If you want baseball magic, watch this film. It presents the healing power of baseball in a time of great personal grief for so many New Yorkers, who were able to think about something else for a couple of weeks. The only time non-Yankees fans were rooting for the Yankees.

*This wasn't any other postseason, this is the greatest postseason I've ever seen! So many magical moments: Jeter's flip play in Oakland, Tino Martinez's homer with 2 outs in the ninth of Game 4 of the World Series, Deja Vu the next night with Scott Brosius, the D-Backs scoring 2 runs off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the 9th of Game 7 to win the World Series, and the one that always gets me: Derek Jeter stepping up to the plate at the stroke of midnight on November 1st and hitting a Walk off homer to end Game 4, with Michael Kay's legendary call: "See Ya! See Ya! See Ya! ... He is Mr. November!". Those 3 "See Yas" give me Goosebumps every time. And I hate the Yankees!

5) The Sandlot (1993) (dir. David M. Evans)

Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Dennis Leary, Karen Allen, James Earl Jones

*The story of Scotty Smalls, who has just moved in to a new neighborhood and is befriended by Benny "the Jet" Rodriguez and the rest of the Sandlot gang. It takes time for Smalls to adjust to the group's customs("You're killing me Smalls") but once he does, he becomes an integral part of the team.

*Set in the 1960's, the film is pure Americana. I love the 4th of July fireworks scene. There are many other classic scenes: when "Squints" fakes his drowning in order to kiss Wendy Peffercorn, the group's mistake with the chewing tobacco before getting on the carnival ride, and, of course, Benny out-running "the Beast" with his P.F. Flyers.

4) Little Big League (1994) (dir. Andrew Scheinman)

Starring: Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield, John Ashton, Kevin Dunn, Dennis Farina, Jason Robards

*The most underrated Baseball Movie ever. I believe this film should be required viewing for every current MLB manager. Forget about Billy Beane, Billy Heywood is the actual pioneer of Sabermetrics in Baseball Movies. He understands the importance of defensive shifts, proper use of the bullpen, and the fact that you never, ever bunt when you're trying to start a rally. That scene when Mac puts his knowledge to the test is brilliant: "What does he need me for?"

*The other thing this film gets right is the Clubhouse atmosphere of a Major League team, even with the PG rating. I love the scene when the players are helping Billy with his math homework before their 1-game playoff against the Mariners: "Why don't they get a house that's already painted?". Speaking of the Mariners, the movie includes plenty of All-Star cameos including Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Lou Pinella, Mickey Tettleton("Welcome to the Big Leagues, kid"), Paul O'Neill, Tim Raines, and 3 Puerto Ricans: Carlos Baerga, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Ivan Rodriguez. What other movie can match that?

3) A League of Their Own (1992) (dir. Penny Marshall)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Lori Petty, David Strathairn

*Nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards

*The best ensemble cast in any Baseball Movie. The story of the All-American Girls Baseball League, centered on 2 sisters who play for the Rockford Peaches, but are later separated because of some sisterly fighting. The team is coached by Jimmy Duggan(Tom Hanks), who, at first, doesn't take the job seriously, but later comes to respect the team, and their leader, Dottie Hinson(Geena Davis). 

*Contains one of the greatest quotes in film history: "There's no crying in Baseball!". The deciding game of the World Series makes for a great ending. I've watched the movie a million times, and I still don't know if Dottie intentionally drops the ball when Kit runs her over at the plate for the winning run.

2) Bull Durham (1988) (dir. Ron Shelton)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Robert Wuhl, Trey Wilson

*Oscar nominee for Best Original Screenplay

*A Fabulous Screenplay! Easily the most quotable Baseball Movie ever. Some examples: "I believe in the church of baseball." "Well, he f*cks like he pitches, sorta all over the place." "Don't think. It can only hurt the ball club." "Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring. Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls, it's more democratic."

*Great performances from the 3 main stars. Great take on the minor league experience. Great Love Story, as well. It's #2 on this list, but make no mistake about it, this is one of my favorite movies ever!

1) Major League (1989) (dir. David S. Ward)

Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Wesley Snipes, Rene Russo, James Gammon, Margaret Whitton, Dennis Haysbert, Bob Uecker

*Great Ensemble Cast. More of a straight comedy than Bull Durham, but it also includes an interesting love story. The best representation of a Major League clubhouse of any Baseball Movie. Has the advantage of the R rating that Little Big League doesn't have. It also presents Spring Training to perfection. I can't think of any other Baseball Movie that does that. Magical ending. Introduced the trend of Major League closers entering the game with their own theme music, á la "Wild Thing" Rick Vaughn.

*Most importantly, this is one of the funniest movies of all time, with one of my favorite movie quotes ever: "Juuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed". Bob Uecker as Harry Doyle takes the comedy in this movie to a whole other level. Because of this, its "repeat viewing" factor is slightly higher than Bull Durham, and for that reason mostly, I have it as my #1 Baseball Movie of all time. But these two films are classics, in my book, and I would totally understand if someone has Bull Durham as their #1.

Top 25 "That Guys" (and girls)

"That guy" refers to those Character Actors that make every movie they appear in better. Every time you see one of them on screen you immediately go: "look, it's that guy from ...", and then proceed to name every movie they've made better with their presence. Many of Hollywood's A-List actors start out as "that guys" and then graduate to leading man status, eventually receiving Academy Award nominations and, in some cases, that coveted Oscar trophy. Some recent examples include: Paul Giamatti, Robert Downey Jr., 2013 Best Actor Nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, and maybe the greatest Character Actor ever, the recently departed Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. The problem is that most of the time these Character Actors don't receive the recognition they deserve and they remain in "that guy" status for their entire careers. In most cases the casual movie-goer doesn't even know their names.
This was the case with "that guy" James Rebhorn, who died on sunday at age 65 after a career full of excellent supporting roles in movies such as Scent of a Woman, Independence Day, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Meet the Parents. In order to recognize Mr. Rebhorn, and other great actors like him who've never received their due, I've created a list of my 25 Favorite Character Actors, or "that guys". The only criteria I utilized was that none of the actors on the list could have been nominated for an Academy Award. This eliminated many great Character Actors such as: Stanley Tucci, Chris Cooper, Catherine Keener, Patricia Clarkson, and others, but left more room for those truly under-aprecciated supporting stars. Without further ado, here are my Top 25 "That guys" (and girls). Enjoy!

25) Margo Martindale

"That girl" from: Million Dollar Baby, Paris, Je T'aime, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, August: Osage County, The Savages, The Hours, Dead Man Walking, Win Win, 28 Days, Practical Magic

24) John Leguizamo

"That guy" from: Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, Ice Age Franchise, Spawn, The Fan, The Lincoln Lawyer, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, Carlito's Way, Executive Decision, Chef

23) Dan Hedaya

"That guy" from: Clueless, The Usual Suspects, The First Wives Club, Dick, A Night at the Roxbury, Rookie of the Year, Mulholland Dr., In & Out, Ransom, Daylight, To Die For, The Addams Family, Blood Simple

*Love him as Cher's dad in Clueless. "Cher, get in here" "Get out of my chair!"

22) Judy Greer

"That girl" from: 13 Going on 30, The Descendants, The Wedding Planner, Adaptation, Love & Other Drugs, The Village, What Women Want, 27 Dresses, Love Happens, Carrie, Three Kings, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

*The ultimate BFF. She can play shy girls, nice girls, and mean girls equally well.

21) Joe Pantoliano

"That guy" from: Bad Boys 1 & 2, The Matrix, Memento, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshalls, The Goonies, Daredevil, Congo, Baby's Day Out, Midnight Run, Empire of the Sun, La Bamba

20) J.T. Walsh (1943-1998)

"That guy" from: Breakdown, The Negotiator, A Few Good Men, Good Morning Vietnam, Sling Blade, Executive Decision, Nixon, Outbreak, Miracle on 34th Street, The Client, Blue Chips, Backdraft

*The villain of the 90's. The perfect man to prosecute Santa Claus. That look of his was terrifying!

19) Jane Lynch

"That girl" from: The 40-Year Old Virgin, Wreck-it Ralph, Role Models, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Julie & Julia, For Your Consideration, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Paul

*Perfect comedic sidekick. A regular in the Christopher Guest movies.

18) Brian Cox

"That guy" from: Troy, Her, Adaptation, Zodiac, X2: X-Men United, Manhunter, RED, The Ring, The Ringer, The Campaign, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 25th Hour, Match Point, Fantastic Mr. Fox

*The original Hannibal Lecter. Excellent at playing any intellectual. Also makes a great bad guy.

17) Hank Azaria

"That guy" from: The Birdcage, Along Came Polly, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Godzilla, The Smurfs, The Simpsons Movie, Love & Other Drugs, Anastasia, Year One, Mystery Men, Heat

*Tremendous voice actor. Love him in The Birdcage and Along Came Polly. "Happy like hippo"

16) Christine Baranski

"That girl" from: The Birdcage, Mamma Mia!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Chicago, Cruel Intentions, Bowfinger, Addams Family Values

15) Luis Guzmán

"That guy" from: Traffic, Boogie Nights, Carlito's Way, Punch-Drunk Love, Waiting..., Anger Management, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Maldeamores, Turbo, Yes Man

*A P.T. Anderson favorite. Great comedic actor. And he's Puerto Rican, just like me.

14) Wallace Shawn

"That guy" from: Clueless, Toy Story Trilogy, Manhattan, The Princess Bride, The Incredibles, Admission, My Favorite Martian, My Dinner with Andre, House Arrest, Vegas Vacation, Duplex

*The voice of "Rex" in the Toy Story Trilogy, one of my favorite movies of all time.

13) Stephen Root

"That guy" from: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Office Space, No Country for Old Men, Finding Nemo, Cedar Rapids, The Lone Ranger, Just Friends, The Company You Keep, J. Edgar

12) Gary Cole

"That guy" from: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Office Space, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Pineapple Express, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, The Brady Bunch 1 & 2, The Gift, I Spy, Hop

*There's even a TV movie in his filmography from 2006 titled "That Guy", playing a character named Gary. Oh, the irony! Love him as Ricky Bobby's dad in Talladega Nights.

11) Bruno Kirby (1949-2006)

"That guy" from: When Harry met Sally, The Godfather: Part II, City Slickers, Donnie Brasco, Stuart Little, Good Morning Vietnam, The Basketball Diaries, This is Spinal Tap, Hoffa, Sleepers

*Loved him as "Jess" in When Harry met Sally, one of my favorite films.

10) Kathryn Hahn

"That girl" from: Bad Moms, Captain Fantastic, We're the Millers, Wanderlust, Our Idiot Brother, Revolutionary Road, Step Brothers, A Lot Like Love, Anchorman, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

9) M. Emmet Walsh

"That guy" from: Blade Runner, Blood Simple, My Best Friend's Wedding, Serpico, Slap Shot, The Jerk, Ordinary People, Silkwood, Fletch, Back to School, A Time to Kill, Calvary, The Iron Giant

8) William Fichtner

"That guy" from: The Dark Knight, Heat, Black Hawk Down, Armageddon, The Longest Yard, The Lone Ranger, Elysium, Date Night, Blades of Glory, Crash, The Perfect Storm, Pearl Harbor

*Who needs Batman? When you need a tough "that guy" you call Mr. Fichtner. He almost singlehandedly saves Gotham City from the Joker's mayhem in the opening scene of The Dark Knight.

7) James Rebhorn (1948-2014)

"That guy" from: Meet the Parents, My Cousin Vinny, Independence Day, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Scent of a Woman, Silkwood, Regarding Henry, Blank Check, The Game, Far From Heaven

*"I'ts only a game Focker!" I love this line. One of the funniest moments in a very funny film.

6) David Morse

"That guy" from: The Negotiator, Disturbia, The Green Mile, Contact, The Hurt Locker, The Rock, World War Z, 16 Blocks, Proof of Life, Hounddog, Dancer in the Dark, 12 Monkeys, The Good Son

5) Harry Dean Stanton (1926-2017)

"That guy" from: Alien, The Avengers, Paris Texas, The Green Mile, The Last Temptation of Christ, Pretty in Pink, Escape From New York, Private Benjamin, Down Periscope, Rango, Lucky, Repo Man

4) John Turturro

"That guy" from: The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Transformers, Barton Fink, Miller's Crossing, Mr. Deeds, Secret Window, The Taking of Pelham 123, Quiz Show, Jungle Fever

*A Coen brothers favorite. Simply one of the best!

3) Steve Buscemi

"That guy" from: Fargo, Con Air, Ghost World, Armageddon, Reservoir Dogs, Monster's Inc., Monster House, Mr.Deeds, The Big Lebowski, Rampart, The Messenger, Pulp Fiction, Billy Madison

*"I'm glad I called that guy." - This is what "Billy Madison"(Adam Sandler) says after Buscemi's character saves his life. It's also what every director probably says after having worked with Steve Buscemi.

2) John Carroll Lynch

"That guy" from: Zodiac, Crazy Stupid Love, Shutter Island, Face/Off, Volcano, Gran Torino, Paul, Love Happens, Things we Lost in the Fire, Gothika, The Good Girl, Gone in 60 Seconds, Fargo

*I believe he deserved an Oscar Nomination for the 3-minute interrogation scene in Zodiac. Chilling! Of course, he couldn't be more lovable in Fargo. He's basically the perfect husband. I love this guy!

1) John Cazale (1935-1978)

"That guy" from: The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter

*The ultimate "that guy". He only acted in 5 feature films, and all 5 were nominated for Best Picture, 3 of those winning the top prize. But poor Fredo, always being passed over, never received any love from the Academy.

For the First Time in Forever: Frozen Review

For the first time in what seems like forever(19 years actually), Disney Animation Studios has created another classic motion picture with Frozen. Not since 1994's The Lion King had the studio produced a movie with such a high quality of visuals, animation, original songs & score, story, and vocal performances, all in one package. From the opening hymn and the first song("Frozen Heart"), the mood is set for an epic tale involving two things: lots of love and lots of ice. It's close to the feeling you get during the "Circle of Life" sequence in The Lion King.

The ice is provided by "Elsa"(Idina Menzel), the eldest of two sister princesses of the nordic kingdom of Arendelle(beautiful name for a beautiful kingdom). "Elsa" was born with the power to create snow and ice whenever she pleases(like a mix between "Storm" and "Iceman" from the X-Men movies). This gift becomes a curse when "Elsa" accidentally hurts her younger sister "Anna"(Kristen Bell) during a game of winter wonderland fun inside the palace. Anna is cured by some nearby trolls, but her memory of the  incident is erased. Their parents decide to separate the girls and instruct "Elsa" to hide her powers from "Anna" and the rest of the world, sealing the gates to the kingdom in the process. Where's Professor Xavier when you need him?

The years pass with "Anna" trying, unsuccessfully, to get "Elsa" to come out and play on multiple occasions, her feelings expressed beautifully with the song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?". Anyone who's had a younger or older sibling will relate to these sisters. Jennifer Lee, who co-wrote 2012's wonderful Wreck-it Ralph, gets the sole writing credit for Frozen, and with this screenplay she does for sisterhood what The Lion King did for father & son relationships. An integral part of the storytelling comes from the unforgettable original songs written by the husband & wife team of EGOT Member Robert Lopez(that's part of his name now) & Kristen Anderson-Lopez. You'll be singing these songs long after watching the movie(I know I have).

One of those unforgettable original songs is the bouncy and uplifting "For the First Time in Forever", which comes at the moment the gates of Arendelle are opened for Elsa's coronation ceremony. The song highlights Anna's optimism at finding love, and Elsa's fears of not being able to control her powers, and her desire to hide those powers from the world. Elsa's fears are realized during the celebration, when she loses control of her powers and curses Arendelle to an eternal winter. Elsa flees the kingdom and Anna pledges to find her and bring her back because she believes her sister can undo what she has done.

Elsa is finally free to be who she really is, and, in the movie's show-stopping moment, she builds herself an Ice Palace in the mountains while she sings about finally releasing the storm inside in the Oscar-winning "Let it Go". Elsa shuts the door, literally, to the outside world , a sharp contrast to Anna's previous song, "Love is an Open Door", where she gets engaged in a duet with "Prince Hans"(Santino Fontana), who she just met earlier that day.

The movie shifts to Anna's quest up the mountains to find Elsa, where she meets "Kristoff"(Jonathan Groff), a mountain man who has "conversations" with his reindeer "Sven". Kristoff immediately questions Anna's judgment when she tells him that she is engaged to Prince Hans, schooling her in the ways of modern day fairy tales. Notwithstanding her judgment, he decides to help her up the mountains, having been convinced by his "talkative" reindeer. Together, they meet "Olaf"(Josh Gad), a scene-stealing snowman created by Elsa who provides comic relief while dreaming of warmer days in a delightful melody, "In Summer".

The four of them arrive at Elsa's Ice Palace. Anna goes inside and the two sisters go back and forth in an epic reprise of "For the First Time in Forever" that I can't wait to watch live on Broadway! I really can't think of any moment quite like it in all 52 previous Disney Animated Feature Films(I won't spoil it here). Come to think of it, Frozen is a truly unique entry into the Disney canon. Just know that the resolution to the movie deals with the theme of true love, but not in the traditional way you'd expect. Before the film's climax, we get one more upbeat song, "Fixer Upper", about learning to love others, flaws and all, and of the love & support we all need from our family members.

This is the essence of "Frozen", a story of two sisters who learn that there is no more powerful force in the world than true love. We also get some of the traditional fairy tale highlights, such as two love interests for Anna, a villainous plot to take over the kingdom(just not from who you'd expect), fast-paced action scenes for the boys, and some funny supporting characters to keep us laughing throughout the film. More importantly, we learn that when it comes to love, we should always start by loving ourselves, flaws and all. This will open the door for others, especially those closest to us, to do the same. It's those things that make us different that truly define us, and when we permit that part of ourselves to shine through, then love will surely find its way to us.

For those of you who still haven't seen the film ... 

What are you waiting for???

Frozen is available on Blu-Ray and DVD today!!!

The Movie Porti Hall of Fame

I love sports just as much as I love movies! Throughout the month of March I'll be writing a couple of posts about sports and movies, starting with this one. March is the best month of the year for sports, for me at least. It brings the NCAA basketball tournament, or March Madness, as it's famously known, and, more importantly, it brings the start of the Baseball season. Baseball is my favorite sport, and one of the things I love most about it is debating which players are worthy of enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York(bucket list trip!).

In order to gain eligibility for the Hall, a player has to wait 5 years after he has played his last game in the Major Leagues. The Baseball Hall is famous for its exclusivity. A player has to receive over 75% of the votes from over 500 ballots cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America(BBWAA) to get in. In the 75-year history of the Hall, the BBWAA has elected only 115 candidates, for an average of 1.53 inductees per year. I am a firm supporter of this stance! The Hall of Fame is meant for the very best, not just for anyone who was very good, but not great.

With that in mind, I have created The Movie Porti Hall of Fame

I believe that a 5-year waiting period would be the best way for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences(AMPAS) to elect its winners each year. Most years, the Academy voters get swept up in the awards season campaigning. This has resulted in a number of unforgivable mistakes made by the Academy throughout the years(I could do a whole month of posts on those). Now, I'm not gonna hand out the Oscars all over again(I would if I could), but what I'm gonna do is select the movies and performances that, 5 years later, are worthy of receiving 75% of my imaginary votes, and therefore, would enter The Movie Porti Hall of Fame.

1st Year Eligibles: 2008   /   5-Year Waiting Period: 2009-2013

Recap

My Top 5 Movies of 2008

1. "The Dark Knight" (dir. Christopher Nolan)

2. "The Wrestler" (dir. Darren Aronofsky)

3. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (dir. Woody Allen)

4. "Milk" (dir. Gus Van Sant)

5. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (dir. David Fincher)

*Note: My Top 3 movies of the year were not nominated for Best Picture

My Top 5 Performances of 2008

1. Heath Ledger as "The Joker" in "The Dark Knight"

2. Mickey Rourke as "Randy "the Ram" Robinson" in "The Wrestler"

3. Penelope Cruz as "Maria Elena" in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

4. Sean Penn as "Harvey Milk" in "Milk"

5. Kate Winslet as "Hannah Schmitz" in "The Reader"

*Note: In contrast with my movie Top 5, all 4 Oscar winners are in this Top 5, plus Mickey Rourke.

Best Performance by an Ensemble in 2008

The cast of "Doubt": Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis

*Note: All four were nominated for an Academy Award

Acting MVPs of 2008

Male: (tie) Philip Seymour Hoffman("Doubt" and "Synecdoche, New York") and Robert Downey Jr.("Iron Man" and "Tropic Thunder")

Female: Kate Winslet ("The Reader" and "Revolutionary Road")

*Note: Robert Downey Jr. received a rare Academy Award nomination for a comedic performance.

"Gravity" Achievement Award for Visual Effects

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - For marvelously aging Brad Pitt in reverse.

*Note: Of course, "Benjamin Button" won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

How the Academy voted / How I would've voted (I couldn't resist)

Best Picture: Academy - "Slumdog Millionaire" / MP - "The Dark Knight"

Best Director: Academy - Danny Boyle("Slumdog") / MP - Christopher Nolan("The Dark Knight")

Best Actor: Academy - Sean Penn("Milk") / MP - Mickey Rourke("The Wrestler")

Best Actress: Academy - Kate Winslet("The Reader") / MP - same

Best Supporting Actor: Academy - Heath Ledger("The Dark Knight") / MP - same

Best Supporting Actress: Academy - Penelope Cruz("Vicky Cristina Barcelona") / MP - same

Best Original Screenplay: Academy - "Milk" / MP - same

Best Adapted Screenplay: Academy - "Slumdog Millionaire" / MP - "Doubt"

Best Film Editing: Academy - "Slumdog Millionaire" / MP - "The Dark Knight"

Best Animated Feature: Academy - "WALL-E" / MP - "Kung Fu Panda"

Most Overrated Movies of 2008

1. "Slumdog Millionaire" - won 8 Oscars out of a total 10 nominations, including Best Picture, making it the film with the most Oscar wins in the last 10 years. This film isn't even in my Top 10 for 2008, forget about it being the best movie of the past 10 years.

2. "WALL-E" - received 6 Academy Award nominations, tying it with "Beauty and the Beast" for the most ever by an animated movie. I enjoyed this movie and I admired the risk the filmmakers took in making the first half an animated silent film, but the second half of WALL-E is way too heavy handed for my taste. That second half ruined any chance the film had of becoming a classic. 

I love animated movies, and I particularly love Pixar animated movies, but, for some erroneous reason, many critics decided to tab WALL-E as Pixar's Masterpiece and even named it as one of their Top 10 movies of the first decade of the new millenium. In my opinion, Pixar's true Masterpiece of "the aughts" came one year earlier, with Brad Bird's "Ratatouille", not to mention their other excellent work on the decade, plus their hands-down Masterpiece: the "Toy Story" trilogy. "WALL-E" wasn't even the best animated film of 2008 for me. I liked "Kung Fu Panda" better.

Just Missed Induction: "The Wrestler"

If you're one of those people that consider pro wrestling a real sport(I'm one of those), then Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" is one of the greatest sports movies in recent memory. Aronofsky presents the heartbreaking story of Randy "the Ram" Robinson(Mickey Rourke in a career reviving performance), a man who simply doesn't have anything else in his life besides wrestling. As his body keeps breaking down, Randy considers retirement while trying to make ends meet and also make amends with his estranged daughter(Evan Rachel Wood), with some help from a stripper friend of his(Marisa Tomei in an Academy Award nominated performance). There's nothing fancy here(aside from the in-ring sequences), but Aronofsky's unique style still shines through the film and he deftly manages to make us care for all these characters, especially Randy. Aronofsky was definitely snubbed by the Academy in 2008. This movie belongs to him. He would receive his first career nomination 3 years later for "Black Swan". Aside from the nominations for Rourke(who also just missed induction for his performance) and Tomei, the Academy completely ignored "The Wrestler", something that looks even worse 5 years later.

Movie Porti Hall of Fame Inductee: "The Dark Knight"

This movie is what Summer Blockbusters are all about! I can still remember the excitement I felt watching it for the first time in theaters on its release date. I still felt that same excitement 2 months later, on my 5th viewing of the film, in an IMAX theater in New York City. "The Dark Knight" was the first feature film ever to utilize IMAX cameras, using them for six of its major action sequences. From the first scene to the last, the pace never lets up. Immediately, you can tell that the Gotham City in this film resembles more of a modern-day city than in previous Batman films. This was also the first Batman film that didn't use the word "Batman" in its title, so we should have expected something unique just from that. The filmmakers, led by director Christopher Nolan, wanted to bring Batman into the modern world, and they succeeded in a way that would change comic book movies forever. 

"The Dark Knight" received 8 Oscar nominations, but was somehow snubbed for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the film with the 2nd most nominations ever without a Best Picture nomination(2008 was the last year with just 5 Best Picture nominees). The ensemble cast, including Maggie Gyllenhall, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, and Christian Bale as "Batman/Bruce Wayne", is excellent, but the film truly becomes a timeless classic thanks to Heath Ledger's iconic portrayal of "The Joker", his last complete career performance, for which he would win a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. "The Dark Knight" also received a 2nd Oscar for Best Sound Editing. I just watched it again yesterday, and its themes of modern-day heroism are as relevant today as they were five years ago. I don't think we'll ever see another movie quite like "The Dark Knight", and for that reason I consider it one of the Greatest Movies of All Time, and a slam-dunk(sports reference!) inductee into the Movie Porti Hall of Fame.

Movie Porti Hall of Fame Inductee: Heath Ledger as "The Joker" in "The Dark Knight"

The excitement I had for watching "The Dark Knight" began when Heath Ledger was announced as "The Joker" on July 31st, 2006. Incredibly, many people were initially against this decision, but I was a big fan from the start. After seeing Ledger's performance as "Ennis Del Mar" in "Brokeback Mountain", I knew he could do anything. The excitement continued to build when I went to see Warner Bros' "I am Legend" in theaters during the 2007 holiday season. The best thing about that moviegoing experience was that the first "Dark Knight" teaser trailer was premiered. Once I got a glimpse of Heath Ledger's "Joker", my excitement level went through the roof! The hype surrounding this movie was like nothing I had experienced before.

That hype got magnified, sadly, on January 22nd, 2008, with the tragic news of Heath Ledger's death due to an accidental drug overdose. I was crushed. This guy was on his way to becoming one of my Top 5 Favorite Actors Ever, and he was just 28 when he died. The expectations placed on the film after this were unbelievable, but the film, and Ledger in particular, delivered. "The Dark Knight" would become the 2nd Highest Grossing Film of All Time at the Box Office, later the 3rd highest after "Avatar's" release one year later. This was due in large part to Ledger's transcendent performance as "The Joker". Some people have said that the praise for his performance was due to the fact that he had passed away, but I say that those people are CRAZY! If Ledger would've been alive, he would've gladly walked up on stage to accept the Oscar that was rightfully his. Simply put, Ledger created one of the Greatest Villains in Film History, with one of the Greatest Quotes in Film History("Why so serious?"), and overall, his performance is one of the Greatest Performances of All Time. For all those reasons, Heath Ledger's performance as "The Joker" is an inductee in the Movie Porti Hall of Fame.

P. S.

Starting next week, I will present my Top 100 (10 at a time) for the 4 categories that I mentioned that "The Dark Knight" belongs to: Greatest Movies of All Time, Greatest Performances of All Time, Greatest Heroes & Villains of All Time, and Greatest Quotes of All Time. In some instances, some of the films and performances on these lists would not be in the Movie Porti Hall of Fame, but, obviously, all films and performances in the Hall will appear on these lists. So stay tuned!