Greetings again from the darkness. In a perfect world we would judge each other by character, personality, integrity, and accomplishments. Unfortunately, too many still judge the book by its cover, and therein lies the only explanation for why Yogi Berra was not on the field at the 2015 All-Star game with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, and Johnny Bench as one of the greatest living players. Berra, though he never cut the imposing athletic figure as those players, certainly fulfilled the four attributes listed above … including his accomplishments in the very game that was offering tribute to the greats of the game. Director Sean Mullin expertly proceeds to prove that Lorenzo Pietro “Yogi” Berra was not just one of the best baseball players of all-time, he was also a war hero, beloved father, grandfather, husband, public figure, and above all, a world-class person.
What Mr. Mullin does to elevate this documentary is not just focus on Yogi’s fabulous career as a player, but also on the rest of his life. This allows us to understand what a special man he was. Yogi’s granddaughter Lindsay frequently pops up for commentary, and she makes it abundantly clear that while Yogi learned to accept being baseball’s most overlooked superstar, she certainly has not. After all, Berra is the all-time leader in World Series championships as a player with 10, and has 13 rings total, including his time coaching. He was an 18 time All-Star and was voted onto the All-Century team. Remarkably, Yogi caught both ends of 117 doubleheaders in his career, and of course, caught Don Larsen’s World Series Perfect Game. As a New York Yankees player and coach, his presence in pinstripes linked the careers of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, and Don Mattingly.
Those are some of the pieces of a life that are indelibly linked to baseball history, and in this documentary, we learn even more. He grew up on the same St Louis street as (another future major league catcher) Joe Garagiola, and the Branch Rickey story involving the two is fascinating. After signing with the Yankees for $500, Berra enlisted in the Navy, and found himself in the middle of the Normandy landings. Lindsay recounts the story of why Berra never received his Purple Heart, and the process she went through to ensure that he received a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was married to Carmen for 65 years, and they raised three sons, Dale (a Major Leaguer), Tim, and Larry. The story of how Carmen named Dale is one of the highlights of the film.
Lest you buy into the image of Yogi as the cartoon character (Yogi Bear) in Yellowstone, or the lovable post-career pitchman for Amtrak, Aflac, YooHoo, and Miller Lite, pay particular attention to the segment on Jackie Robinson’s steal of home in the World Series. This will clue you in on what an intense competitor Yogi was – helping to explain his incredible track record of winning. Of course, none of this is meant to minimize Yogi’s creative use of the English language. He became iconic for his malapropisms … often referred to as “Yogiisms”. This includes the famous one from which this film’s title was derived, “It ain’t over till it’s over” … right up there with “I really didn’t say everything I said.”
Berra’s rift with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is analyzed, leaving us respecting Yogi’s years-long stance over being disrespected. Their eventual make-up led to an incredible “Yogi Berra Day” at Yankee Stadium, where the game remarkably lived up to the pre-game moment when Don Larsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Yogi. Director Mullin capitalizes on a long stream of former teammates, opponents, players, writers, and family members to provide insight into Yogi Berra. There is little doubt even more would have loved to contribute, as much in the way Yogi gives credit to Hall of Famer Bill Dickey for tutoring him on catching, so many are anxious to offer stories on how Yogi Berra influenced them. Let’s end this with more of Yogi’s wisdom. “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” And when it comes to this excellent and entertaining documentary from Sean Mullin, keep in mind that “You can observe a lot by watching.”
Opens in theaters on May 26, 2023
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. It’s borderline unfathomable that someone who has worked for almost 20 years as a cinematographer and a decade as a TV director could be “unfamiliar” with the work and career of one of the industry giants, yet that’s the claim of director James Adolphus (“Soul of a Nation” mini-series) when it comes to Mary Tyler Moore. His film does play a bit as if he’s opening a Christmas present that everyone else in the room knows what’s under the wrapping, and it’s because of this, the film works as not just a retrospective of her career, but also a tribute to a woman who influenced so many.
Greetings again from the darkness. The tough road this film faces could be blamed on the unfortunate timing of release on the heels of a similar story in GUY RITCHIE’S THE COVENANT; however, that’s not the only reason the latest collaboration between Gerard Butler and director Ric Roman Waugh (ANGEL HAS FALLEN, GREENLAND) will likely struggle to find an audience. Other obstacles include a script with entirely too many storylines and character arcs that dead end, as well as an overall lack of intensity when it was necessary.
Greetings again from the darkness. The word of the day is “awkward.” Every character, every situation, every moment, and every conversation in this film can be described with that word. An attempt will be made to not overuse that adjective here, but yours truly offers no guarantees. Paul Schrader has had a long and impressive career as both writer and director. His early successes include screenplays for TAXI DRIVER (1976), ROLLING THUNDER (1977), RAGING BULL (1980), and THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988), as well as directing AMERICAN GIGOLO (1980) and AFFLICTION (1997). The past few years have been a bit of a resurgence for Schrader with the excellent FIRST REFORMED (2018) and THE CARD COUNTER (2021).
Greetings again from the darkness. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is in its 18th year, having aired 165 episodes, not counting endless reruns in syndication. A huge part of the series’ success is the comedic talent and writing ability of Charlie Day. That success has put him in a position to direct his first feature film, and how does he proceed? By attempting to skewer and mock the same Hollywood system that has made him rich and famous. Fortunately for Day, many of his friends have joined in, and most of the mocking falls pretty flat. So, he hasn’t jeopardized the likelihood that he will, in fact, work in this town again.
Greetings again from the darkness. With his Oscar winning AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006), and follow-ups including WAITING FOR SUPERMAN (2010) and HE NAMED ME MALALA (2015), Davis Guggenheim has proven to be one of the most important and effective documentarians working today. With his latest, he adds a creative touch that blends well with the emotional and personal aspects of this Michael J Fox biography.
Greetings again from the darkness. There aren’t too many companies who have reached the pinnacle of their industry, only to later flop due to lack of innovation or a stubborn insistence on holding on to the past. Tremendous success and absolute failure are not typically associated with the same company. Blockbuster Video and Pan Am Airlines come to mind as examples of industry leaders whose refusal to adapt, culminated with closure, and it’s likely that Blackberry belongs in the category, at least as presented here by writer-director Matt Johnson and co-writer Matthew Miller, adapting the book by Jacquie McNish.
Greetings again from the darkness. The emotional strain associated with being estranged from one’s family reaches a level only those involved can comprehend. In this touching film from writer-director Andrea Pallaoro and co-writer Orlando Tirado, we focus on the return and attempted re-connection of one such person.
Greetings again from the darkness. Imagine if Liam Neeson’s character in TAKEN had also been a skilled trauma surgeon … and a woman. If so, the result would be similar to the main character here, Michelle, played by Leah Gibson. Michelle is that rare former military doctor with special ops skills. She’s also a mother to a young son, and experiences a traumatic event in the opening scene in this film from director Tony Dean Smith and writer Alex Wright.
Greetings again from the darkness. In 1904, J.M. Barrie finished “Peter Pan, or the Boy who wouldn’t Grow Up”, and since then the story has been re-imagined on stage, on the silver screen, and even with a live TV production. Every generation gets their version (sometimes more than one), and the most famous (or infamous) are the 1953 animated Disney classic, the 1991 Steven Spielberg live action version HOOK, the 2003 live action version that never really captured a wide audience, and the fairly recent 2015 flop PAN from Joe Wright. At the core of the story is that none of us really want to grow up and take on the responsibilities of adulthood, and to avoid such a wretched future, we’d be willing to fly off in the middle of the night to a place called Neverland and fight an evil pirate while chasing great adventures.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 