Movie Review: Major League 2

Major League 2
Warner Bros., Morgan Creek Productions, USA, 1994.

Oh boy, oh boy oh boy! (in Donald Duck's voice) I visited a thrift store and managed to find the Major League-film that was missing from my collection.

After the events of first film, the Indians-team has been sold to Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen). Old star players voodooman Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), Willie Mays Hayes (Omar Epps replacing first movie's Wesley Snipes), Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) and Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) are still in the game. New additions to the team are Jake's nemesis Jack Parkman (David Keith) and rookie Rube Baker (Eric Bruskotter). However success has gone to the heads of  the old players. Cerrano found peace & love and is now free from anger (sissy), which is not good for the game. The fighting spirit is gone and money, PR-events and acting careers are more important than the game. Jake is past his prime as a professional player, but has to try a career as a coach when old coach Lou (James Gammon) goes to hospital. 

Jake

Cerrano

Willie in action movie with Jesse Ventura. I'd watch this.

There are only two months to get the game going, before Dorn is forced to sell the team. Hiroshi "Kamikaze" Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi) tries to teach Samurai spirit to Cerrano. Vaughn has a new calculating manager/lady friend Rebecca (Alison Doody, known for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade") but nice social worker Nikki (Michelle Burke) from his past appears. If the first movie had a romantic side plot with Jake and Lynn, this time Vaughn's love life is in the spotlight. Former juvenile delinquent Vaighn tried to mend his ways but in the process he became dull. How to get his game together, that is the problem.

Tanaka

Rube

Five years have passed since the prequel (about on year in Major League's timeline) but otherwise the passing of time is not noticeable except some actors look older. It is a nice sequel and the fans of the first film shouldn't be too disappointed although the story is a tamer variation of first movie's story about ups and downs of the Indians. The humour is quite faithful to the first movie and also it was good that most of the actors of the first film reprised their roles.  Rube Baker was a funny character with his scatterbrain anecdotes. His quotes are pure gold. "When a man's lights are about to go out the fat lady can't sing if it's not over!"

Vaughn

Rebecca

Nikki

Drunk announcer Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) appears again. Randy Quaid has a cameo role as disgruntled Indians fan and Rene Russo quickly appears as Lynn.

Harry Doyle

Unhappy Indians fan

Rating: Good

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, James Gammon, Omar Epps, Eric Bruskotter, Takaaki Ishibashi, Alison Doody, Michelle Burke, David Keith, Margaret Whitton, Bob Uecker, Steve Yeager, Kevin Hickey, Skip Griparis, Kevin Crowley, Bill Leff, Michael Mundra, Courtney Pee, Farajii Rasulallah, Edward Woodson, Ted Duncan, Marie-Louise White, Saige Spinney, Michael Willis, Jason Kravits, Alan Wade, Keith Johnson, Jay Leno, Susan Duvall, Ron Meadows Jr., Jesse Ventura, Keith Uchima, Kurt Uchima, Richard Salamanca, Harold Surratt, Daniel O'Donnell, Richard Schiff, Louis Turenne, Patrick Robert Smith, Dan Kilday, Barry Cochran, William Reuter, Ken Medlock, Michael Stone Forrest, David Boswell, Skip Apple, Bob Roesner, Stefan Aleksander, Dick Stilwell, David Sherrill, J. Michael Sarbaugh, Jeff Sheaffer, Tom Quinn, John Milisitz, Jim Dedrick, Bobb Hopkins, Bobby Joe Brown, Wayne Crist, Julia Miller, Ashton Smith, Rene Russo, Randy Quaid

Director:  David S. Ward

Movie Review: Major League: Back to the Minors

Major League: Back to the Minors a.k.a Major League III
Morgan Creek Productions, Warner Bros., USA, 1998.

I thought I had all the "Major League"- films but I didn't, so I have to skip the second part for now. Oh well, this is not the first time I'm watching movies in the wrong order. 

Gus Cantrell (Scott Bakula) is planning to quit his baseball career that has seen the better days. Stuck in lower leagues he does not have much room for advancement. Maybe he should start a peaceful life with his nice girlfriend Maggie Reynolds (Jensen Daggett). His old friend Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen) suggest a new career coaching a minor team Buzz. After the previous movies Roger has become a baseball team owner.

Gus Cantrell

Maggie Reynolds

Roger Dorn

The most promising player in Buzz is Billy 'Downtown' Anderson (Walton Goggins) but he is also selfish diva. Other players are weak. Pitcher Hog Ellis (Judson Mills) needs to learn pitching and the second pitcher Carlton 'Doc' Windgate (Peter Mackenzie) is too slow. Lance Pere (Kenny Johnson) is a former ballet dancer trying a baseball career and Lopez twins (Tim, Tom & Ted DiFilippo) are always quarreling. Empathetic Frank 'Pops' Morgan (Thom Barry) is supportive but too old to run fast, so Gus makes him the Captain. 

Frank 'Pops' Morgan

Hog Ellis

Billy Anderson

Roger wants Billy to his team Twins that is coached by Gus' old nemesis Leonard Huff (Ted McGinley). The game doesn't get better until two retired players 'Voodoo' Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert) and Taka Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi) join the team and show the youngsters how to play baseball. Buzz gets a chance to humiliate Twins in a big arena, but Leonard does not play fair. Billy shows his skills though and Leonard hires Billy although he is still not ready for the big league. Losing the best player makes Buzz lose the motivation. The End.

...
...

Not really. Gus teaches that baseball is not one man show, but a team game. There is no "I" in "Team." The players deserve a second chance so it is a time for a rematch!

Cerrano

Taka Tanaka

Leonard Huff

Scott Bakula was good as a coach, whipping the underdog players into shape. Familiar character from the previous films Announcer Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) has some funny scenes. And Ted McGinley, known for "Married With Children" still has slick idiot charm. There is some fun physical comedy but the verbal comedy is milder than in the first movie, mostly because the new player characters are not as funny. You just start waiting the appearance of the old team players. Roger Dorn is quite out of the character here, and makes wonder what happened between the first and the third film. It is not so bad but far from remarkable. Although the comedy gets slightly better near the end, it almost would work better as a baseball TV-movie drama.

Rating: Average

Starring: Scott Bakula, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, Takaaki Ishibashi, Jensen Daggett, Eric Bruskotter, Walton Goggins, Ted McGinley, Kenny Johnson, Judson Mills, Lobo Sebastian, Thom Barry, Peter Mackenzie, Ted DiFilippo, Tim DiFilippo, Tom DiFilippo, Bob Uecker, Larry Brandenburg, Jack Baun, Mike Schatz, Joe Kelly, J. Don Ferguson, Brian Beegle, Ted Manson, Ronald 'Buzz' Bowman, Alex Van, Tim Ware, Robert M. Egan, Michael A. Lynch, Richard Bruce Doughty, Al Hamacher, Natalie Hendrix, Stephen Hardig, Letroy Myers, Gary P. Pozsik, André Tardieu, Brien Straw, R.J. Kackley, Bradley Crable, Ken Medlock, Lucinda Whitaker, Kimberly Herndon, Elizabeth Diane Wells, Gary Murphy, Scott Foxhall, Warren Peper, Dee Thompson, Raymond Sterling, Ron Clinton Smith, Richie Dye, Dolan Wilson, Laura-Shay Griffin, Mark Storm, Bayani Ison
Director: John Warren

Movie Review: Major League

Major League
Paramount Pictures, Mirage Enterprises, Morgan Creek Productions, USA, 1989.

In Cleveland baseball them Indians has not won the league in 35 years. Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitton) inherits the team and wants to move the team to Miami. First she has to end the deal with city of Cleveland, and the deal will be broken if there is a major drop in audience. So the team needs to fail so badly that the audience will stay at home. What they need is a team of losers, former stars and misfits. Colourful bunch of players arrives: has-been baseball star Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), voodoo-man Cerrano, weak-armed Eddie Harris (Chelcie Ross), sloppy-fingered snob Roger Dorn (Corbin Bernsen), wannabe-player Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes) and jailbird Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen).

Rachel Phelps

Eddie Harris and Roger Dorn

Ricky Vaughn and Jake Taylor

Against all odds the tough but fair coach Lou Brown (James Gammon) begins to get the motley crew on the winning track. Rachel tries dirty tricks to keep the team losing but they will not be discouraged. As a romantic sideplot Jake's old flame Lynn Wells (Rene Russo) is getting married and he decides to do something to repair the past. Also Ricky gets in a mess with Dorn's sexy wife Suzanne (Stacy Carroll).

Pedro Cerrano

Willie Mays Hayes

Lynn Wells

In the 1980s several variations of "Police Academy" were made and why not, there is always fun in watching a band of goofy underdogs outdo themselves. Every player has his own obstacles to overcome and there is always room for self-growth. The team even becomes interested in classical literatuire. Okay, in comic form but still. In the 1980s comedy style everything goes to achieve the feel good ending, so the story does not have great surprises but entertaining sports comedy does what it is supposed to do.

Lou Brown

Suzanne Dorn

Amusing characters are performed by many familiar faces. Tom Berenger is seldom seen in comedic roles and also here he is in mostly dramatic role, still cracking jokes with the others. Before Wesley Snipes became an action star, he did a career in comedies, this is a bit different role than he is usually seen. His character is energetic but somewhat gullible. Charlie Sheen has the role of bad boy, who becomes a sports idol.

Rating: Good

Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton, James Gammon, Rene Russo, Wesley Snipes, Charles Cyphers, Chelcie Ross, Dennis Haysbert, Andy Romano, Bob Uecker, Steve Yeager, Peter Vuckovich, Stacy Carroll, Richard Pickren, Kevin Crowley, Mary Seibel, Bill Leff, Mike Bacarella, Skip Griparis, Gary Houston, Ward Ohrman, Marge Kotlisky, Tony Mockus Jr., Deborah Wakeham, Neil Flynn, Keith Uchima, Kurt Uchima, William M. Sinacore, Richard Baird, Julia Milaris, Roger Unice, Michael Thoma, Patrick Dollymore, Joe Liss, Gregory Alan Williams, Peter Ruskin, Michael Hart, James Deuter, Jack McLaughlin-Gray, Tim Bell, Joe Soto, Ted Noose, Lenny Rubin, Thomas P. Purdoff, Jeffrey J. Edwards, Alexandra Villa, Michelle Minyon, Alex Flores, Michael F. Twarog, Ted White
Director: David S. Ward

Movie Review: Eddie the Eagle

Eddie the Eagle a.k.a The Eagle
Hurwitz Creative, Marv Films, Saville Productions, Studio Babelsberg, UK, Germany, USA, 2016. 

Since young boy Eddie Edwards has wanted to by Olympic champion. He is clumsy and not athlete-material but he has will to practice. His father (Keith Allen) just think that he is wasting his time but mom (Jo Hartley) is supportive. As the summer sports are too challenging he finds a realistic real goal: getting to Winter Olympics!

Taron Egerton as Eddie Edwards

In 1987 Eddie (Taron Egerton) is selected to Winter Olympic downhill ski team only to get the rug pulled from under him by sports moguls who do not think that Eddie is mediasexy enough. He decides to try once more this time as ski jumper. He travels to Germany to train but after many painful attempts he figures out that he needs a coach. Eccentric drunkard former ski jumper Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) reluctantly agrees to help him. Also cougarish but friendly bar keeper Petra (Iris Berben) offers him a job in the bar to earn his living. Getting into the Calgary Winter Olympics becomes Eddie's obsession and despite difficulties he manages to outdo himself.

Petra

Eddie & Bronson

"Eddie the Eagle" is a feel-good film about an unconventional sports star. Sympathetic underdog story follows the formula of sporting movies with that difference that Eddie never won any major competitions. But he had guts to jump in the Winter Olympics with only amateur level experience and he managed to prove that the British still can have a place in the ski jumping scene. Hero of his own life, Eddie encounters and overcomes all kinds of hurdles that try to prevent him from living his dream. Although he never won any contests and was dubbed 'The Worst Ski Jumper of All Time', he resurrected the British ski jumping and became favourite of audiences. And few have guts to jump from the large hills anyways. What is nice is that although Eddie is a comical figure, he takes his goals seriously and works hart to achieve them.

Like most biography films, much of the events are dramatized. Hugh Jackman's character is inspired by the coaches Eddie had. The ski jumping is close to the Finnish heart, as it is one of the winter sports events that we used to be great at. For a Finnish watcher Eddie's story offers some interesting details. Finnish ski jumper legend & media person Matti Nykänen is played by Swedish actor Edvin Endre, and in the film he Eddie's idol but also snobbish compared to the real colourful person whose later life has often been closer to Bronson Peary's. Well, there is another film "Matti" that shows a bit different side of Matti Nykänen's life. But during the Calgary Winter Olympics when Matti Nykänen was on the top of his career, he was idolized and that is nicely shown in the movie.

Eddie and Matti

Another thing is that Eddie was and is still quite a cult figure in Finland. He even recorded couple of songs (sung in broken Finnish) written by Finnish protest singer legend Irwin Goodman when he visited Finland.

Great thing in the movie is also the old school sounding synthesizer score of the film.

Rating: Very good

Starring: Tom Costello, Jo Hartley, Keith Allen, Dickon Tolson, Jack Costello, Taron Egerton, Mark Benton, Tim McInnerny, Edvin Endre, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen, Marc Benjamin, Iris Berben, Rune Temte, Hugh Jackman, Carlton Bunce, Joachim Raaf, Sean Jackson, Daniel Ings, Jim Broadbent, Matt Rippy, Graham Fletcher-Cook, Ania Sowinski, Paul Reynolds, Christopher Walken
Director: Dexter Fletcher

Movie Review: Harvard Man a.k.a Harvard Story

Harvard Man  a.k.a Harvard Story
Bigel / Mailer Films, Kushner-Locke Company, Lions Gate Films, Worldwide Media, USA, 2001.

Harvard-student Alan Jensen (Adrian Grenier) is a rising basketball star and smart student although you wouldn't believe it from his actions. Girlfriend Cindy Bandolini's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) dad (Gianni Russo) is a mafia boss. Tornado destroys Alan's parents' home and causes economical distress so Alan has to find some money fast. 

Alan Jensen

Chesney Cort

Alan has also an affair with philosophy professor Chesney Cort (Joey Lauren Adams). As a hobby Alan tries to expand his consciousness with drugs (you can say goodbye to NBA career, bro). Chesney suggest that Alan should borrow money from Cindy. Andrew Bandolini is into sports betting so he'll give the money if Alan agrees to illegal match fixing. Cindy tries to take advantage of the scheme and bets $250000. So the stakes are high and hitmen will act if Alan goofs up.

The Bandolinis

Marcus

Before the crucial match Alan gets high (seriously what is the obsession of American's with weed? You are raising a nation of Cheech & Chongs). Harvard team loses the match as Alan agreed with Bandolinis. Player friend Marcus (NBA-star Ray Allen) doesn't take the loss lightly but their small quarrel does not really have consequences. Also kinky FBI-agents are investigating match fixing. So when going gets tough Alan gets a high dose of LSD. Chesney warns that he'll lose his mind, but does he listen, oh no. Even chemist Sandy (Chantal Cousineau) who made him the drugs warns about taking too much of it. And so he spends the rest of the story tripping, while others try to figure out how to clean up the mess. 

Sandy

Eric Stoltz as Teddy

Cindy and Kelly negotiating

Frankly I got this movie because there was Sarah Michelle Gellar on the cover but I was surprised that there were also some other familiar faces in the cast: Eric Stoltz as Teddy the Bookie, Rebecca Gayheart as FBI agent Kelly and John Neville as Dr. Reese. Their presence does not help much though as nearly all the characters are unlikable. The story has the characteristics of university themed erotic crime thrillers of 1990s-early 2000s with poor man's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" thrown in the mix. This is the kind of film that makes one appreciate "Wild Things" and "Cruel Intentions." The story tries to be smarter than it is with classical music and philosophy. Jerky cinematography feels disorienting and camera rotates like mad. This one earns an artistic facepalm.

Rating: Bad

Starring: Adrian Grenier, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Joey Lauren Adams, Eric Stoltz, Rebecca Gayheart, Gianni Russo, Ray Allen, Mike Vetere, Scottie, John Neville, Polly Shannon, Phillip Jarrett, Adam Bloch, Lauren Collis, Landy Cannon, Clé Bennett, Chantal Cousineau, Maria Ricossa, Booth Savage, Mung-Ling Tsui, Brendan Ryder, Kelly Ryder, Kristi Angus, Tara Samuel, Ayanna Sealey, Jamie Holmes, Al Franken, Thomasin Franken, Peter Mensah, Joe Pingue, J. Miles Dale, Nick Bacon, Kate Crowley,  Kimberly Pullis, Brian Schulz, Chris Wolfe, Lyssa J. Caster, Rick Ducommun, David Lauren, Nicholas Marino, Manajhjanihe Royalle, Michael Sercerchi, Emily Van Sonnenberg, Kasia Vassos
Director: James Toback

Movie Review: Monster High: Friday Night Frights

Monster High: Friday Night Frights
Mattel Entertainment, Nerd Corps Entertainment, USA, 2012. 

Actually this part should have been watched before "Monster High: Ghouls Rule" but I got some misinformation about the order of the movies. Not that it would matter much except for the introduction of two new characters that appeared also in "Ghouls Rule." 

The boys' team loses the Skultimate RollerMaze contest to Granite City Gargoyles. Deuce Gorgon, Clawd Wolf and Gill Webber are injured and the team loses the school's crest. As the result the school loses their Spirit (literally) and the school begins to crumble. As other schools must have lost their crest at some point of their history it is a mystery why other monster schools have not collapsed. 

Gloom.

Deuce and Gil get treatment

Smart zombie Ghoulia does detective work to find out if the gargoyles cheated. She finds some curious parts that will be useful later. Frankie tries to find new players for the team. The best player is Lagoona but the boys do not want girls in their team despite the fact that one of the best players ever was robot girl Robecca Steam. Now Robecca has been missing for a century. So the girls form their own team. Their team is scorned as surely girls can't be as good players as boys. How absurd! But the girls do not give up easily and decide to try their best. Their first opponents are zombies so that should be an easy win but it isn't. 

New team is formed

Toralei and Rocco

With long teeth Clawd Wolf begins to coach the girls. Ghoulia finds the location of Robecca and the girls reassemble and restart her. However she is still missing some parts so she can not join the team yet. So Clawd and Robecca start coaching the team together with Ghoulia's scientific skills.

Clawd and Robecca begin coaching the team

Draculaura, Rochelle and Operetta

The team starts getting better results. Meanwhile naughty Toralei conspires with the gargoyle team. One gargoyle Rochelle Goyle gets enough and transfers to Monster High joining the team. There is a feeling of great sports festival in the air!

With hard work the team wins the support of the audience

The story teaches kids the importance of team play and that girls can be sports champions too. As the players are newcomers they have to find their style of play. Also the weaker players need help to find their potential. As the contest has quite free rules the players can use their special powers. Abbey uses her freezing powers, Operetta her voice and Cleo just focuses on looking gorgeous. She's a Diva alright. The humour is similarly fun as in the previous films, so no big surprises there. However the plot has some stupid writing and some plot elements just make no sense. The aforementioned crest problem is one. Also Gholia suddenly drops seeking evidence about Granite School's cheating. Also the boys' first hostility against the girls' team is bizarre as the girls have already proved to be tough and athletic in the web series and movies.

Rating: Average

Voice actors: Cam Clarke, Debi Derryberry, Andrew Duncan, Erin Fitzgerald, Kate Higgins, Julie Maddalena, Audu Paden, Cindy Robinson, Salli Saffioti, Ira Singerman, Evan Smith, Laura Bailey, Ogie Banks, America Young  Director: Dustin Mckenzie