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When “Boulevard Nights” opened in early 1979, it was one of several major studio films — along with “The Warriors,” The Wanderers,” and “Over the Edge” — to take on gang violence as its primary subject. After the movies inspired a handful of violent incidents at theaters, Paramount doubled down on the marketing of Walter Hill‘s “The Warriors” and turned it into a box office hit; unfortunately for “Boulevard Nights” director Michael Pressman, Warner Bros. went in the opposite direction and pulled their film from the venues where violence had broken out, essentially abandoning the movie.

“Warner Bros. said, ‘We’re very proud of this movie, don’t get us wrong,'” Pressman told IndieWire, “‘but we’re not about to risk lawsuits.'” Over the years, however, “Boulevard Nights” has found the audience it always deserved via repertory screenings (it’s a perennial favorite at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema...

For folks who loves both baseball and movies, it's incredibly sad that Hollywood's takes on our national pastime continually whiff with a frequency that makes Adam Dunn look like Joe Dimaggio. But 40 years ago today, a film was released that got everything beautifully, hilariously and even painfully right: The Bad News Bears. A tartly-scripted comic saga about a no-hope Little League team from L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, the film — directed by Michael Ritchie from an original screenplay written by Bill Lancaster — shocked and amused audiences with its unbridled...

In the midst of March Madness and with the Kentucky Derby around the corner, the first pitch of baseball season is almost here.

A quote from Field Of Dreams best describes America’s national pastime, “The one constant throughout the years has been baseball.”

To mark the start of the 2016 season, here’s our list of the Best Baseball movies.

The Bad News Bears

Considered by some to be the best baseball movie ever, the film celebrates its 40th anniversary this month (April 7, 1976). In an article from the NY Daily News, one line reads, “It is a movie that someone like the late Philip Seymour Hoffman called his favorite, and one which resonates on many levels today, with all different generations.”

Who are we to argue with greatness?

After skewering all-American subjects such as politics (The Candidate) and beauty pageants (Smile), director Michael Ritchie naturally set his sights on the...

Is this heaven? Nope, it’s Opening Week.

Recently Mlb rounded up a group of players to recite, word for word, James Earl Jones’ famous “people will come, Ray” speech from Field Of Dreams.

Wamg declares America’s national pastime, Baseball, to be the official sport of movie fans everywhere. As Brad Pitt said in Moneyball, “How can you not be romantic about Baseball?”

It all started Sunday night with the Cardinals at the Cubs with St. Louis winning 3 to 0.

To celebrate the first pitch of Opening Week, here’s our list of the best Baseball movies.

The Rookie

One of the best baseball biopics to come along over the years, The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid, tells the true story of Jim Morris, a man who finally gets a shot at his lifelong dream-pitching in the big leagues. A high school science teacher/baseball coach, Morris’ players make a bet with him:if they win district,...

“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.” – Field Of Dreams.

No truer words were ever spoken about America’s Pastime. Baseball began this past Spring with 30 teams vying for the chance to become World Champions and now it’s been decided. The San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers will play ball in the 2012 World Series. Before the final hurrah of nine innings, stats, bases and 3 strikes you’re out, Wamg has compiled a list of the Best Baseball Movies. Did we leave any in the dugout or are there some that should be sent to the showers?...

D2: The Mighty Ducks

Written by Steven Brill

Directed by Sam Weisman

USA, 1994, imdb

Listen to our Mousterpiece Cinema D2:

The Mighy Ducks podcast or read Josh‘s extended thoughts about the film.

*****

For any critic, opinions about a particular piece of art are influenced by your life experiences.

I grew up loving hockey in general and the Montreal Canadians in particular. The first hockey game that I ever saw was “The New Year’s Eve Classic” on December 31, 1975 between the Red Army and the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens out-shot the Red Army 38-13, but every Soviet shot was a planned dagger designed to confuse and destroy Montreal goaltender Ken Dryden, while Vladislav Tretiak batted away shots from every conceivable angle. The game, which many considered at the time to be the unofficial World Championship ended in a 3-3 tie.

Some call it “The Greatest Tie Game Ever Played...

More shill…err, celebrating greatness! (Still very sincerely about the latter and really, really joking about the former!)

As movie-crazy as we can sometimes be, a healthy media diet isn’t anything without a little bit of reading, So, yes, we like to read things. And, sometimes, we even write them.

Which is why there’s no better place to start on a list of essential guru-related books than with John Sayles’ latest novel, A Moment In The Sun. Not only did the book get a stellar review from the NY Times (and from a host of other great, high-minded places), it landed on the Times’ list of the 100 most notable books from 2011. I bought the enormous and beautiful book (it’s 600+ pages) the first chance I had, and so should you. (If you have a Kindle, the Kindle edition is really cheap and much, much lighter than the monster-sized physical copy.

Confessions of a Bad News Bear

by Jon Zelazny

The Reverend David Stambaugh is the Pastoral Associate at Hollywood United Methodist Church. He earned his BA from Messiah College, a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary, and a Masters of Sacred Theology from Drew University.

Prior to entering the ministry, he portrayed infielder Toby Whitewood in The Bad News Bears (1976), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977), and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978).

Dave Stambaugh: I was actually playing Little League at that time, so it was a world I really knew. I remember one time I couldn’t make it to a callback audition because our team was in the area play-offs. I like to think that helped me get the job: “Hey, that kid can’t come in for our movie today— because he’s playing baseball!”

The first auditions were readings in NYC casting offices,...