Greetings again from the darkness. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this one. You don’t need to be an old man either. Since I am both, you can only imagine the appreciation I have for writer-director Carson Lund and his co-writers Michael Basta and Nate Fisher as they deliver a nostalgic and humorous look at how men deal with glory days of old and a rapidly changing landscape that looks to erase the past and their memories.
Two adult recreational league men’s teams gather for a final game on the baseball field where they’ve played their entire lives. The land is being developed for a new school, so the River Dogs and Adler’s Paint square off to scratch that itch one last time – safe/out arguments, aching bodies, rounding the bases, and the form of male camaraderie that only exists when keeping score is involved. In fact, this game has an official scorekeeper in old-timer Franny, who takes the game even more seriously than many of the players.
The field and the game take place in New England, but the location could be anywhere, U.S.A. These are friends and acquaintances, some connected only through baseball, while others are lifelong buddies, co-workers, and relatives. As throwbacks to a different era, this game, which goes extra innings, includes a lost ball in the woods, car headlights to illuminate the field, a delay due to a trash truck, and a shortage of pitchers.
For those who don’t know, an “eephus” pitch is an extremely slow, arcing junk pitch designed to contrast with fastballs and catch the hitter off-guard. Probably the most famous was Rip Sewell’s eephus pitch to Ted Williams in an all-star game, and the pitch has been used more recently by Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. However, the pitcher most associated with the pitch is Bill “Spaceman” Lee, who pitched for the Red Sox for many years. Known for his quirky personality, the pitch was a natural part of his arsenal. That same Bill Lee, now 78 years old, makes an appearance in this film, and even pitches an inning … showing off the titular pitch.
Lee also gets to rattle off a couple of his most famous phrases: “Strikeouts are fascist” and “The sun don’t shine on the same dog’s ___ every day”. And as quickly as he appeared, Lee is then nowhere to be found. The post-game handshakes have a bit more emotion than a typical game, and the players even take in some fireworks before heading back to real life. A nod to Lou Gehrig’s famous farewell is included, and the film ends with Tom Waits singing “Ol’ 55”. Appreciation is the best word I can come up with for Carson Lund and these teams of actors who portray the fun and pain that goes along with a final game.
The film is currently streaming and available VOD
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. Longtime movie lovers usually cringe with announcements regarding movie remakes. Of course, some work out pretty well: A STAR IS BORN (2018), THE THING (1982), TRUE GRIT (2010); while others deserve backlash: PSYCHO (1998), ROLLERBALL (2002), THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003). When the news hit that writer-director Tom Gormican (THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT, 2022) was going to remake ANACONDA (1997), it wasn’t so much a cringe reaction as it was a giant question mark … Why remake a movie that on its best day could only be labeled a fringe cult favorite? Once the leads of Jack Black (after Nic Cage dropped out) and Paul Rudd were announced, it made much more sense. This was to be a comedic take on an original film that featured quite a few accidental comedy elements.
Greetings again from the darkness. Are you a good person? It’s really not that difficult to determine … although it does require a bit of honest self-reflection. The debut feature film from writer-director Rachel Wolther (co-written with Jesse Millward) is clearly meant to be comical satire, and even more clearly does not include me in the target audience. It seems to me the window for putting whiny, entitled complainers in the spotlight has closed, and these folks are more sad and annoying than funny. Still, since I’m likely in the minority, I’ll strive for objectivity here.
Greetings again from the darkness. Real life doesn’t offer too many opportunities for ‘do-overs’. Fortunately, movies do. Dallas born-and-raised (now Los Angeles-based) Adam Saunders wears many hats for this film that was inspired by his own life. Mr. Saunders wrote the story, directed and produced the film, and takes the lead role.
Greetings again from the darkness. I’m not sure if pumpkins get short-changed with most of their attention coming only during one season, or if perhaps they receive more attention than deserved during that season. Either way, pumpkins are rarely at the center of a cinematic event … despite having their moments during animated TV specials like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “Spookley, the Square Pumpkin”. Director John McPhail (the excellent ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, 2017) sets out to change that with a screenplay by a trio of writers: Nick Guthrie (MINI’S FIRST TIME, 2006), Ruth Fletcher (“Hawaii Five-O”), and Ruth’s husband and writing partner, Christos N. Gage.
Greetings again from the darkness. When we first meet Mr. Blake, he’s tidily packing a small suitcase and informing an anxious phone caller that he will not be attending the ‘Man of the Year’ award ceremony, even as he’s being introduced as the guest of honor in the background. We realize Blake is leaving London because he takes one last forlorn glance at his long-time apartment before heading “back to where it began.” It’s rare for the author of the source novel to adapt and direct a film, but that’s the situation here with Gilles Legardinier and his 2012 book, “Complètement cramé !” Co-writer Christel Henon helped with the screenplay.
Greetings again from the darkness. My immediate reaction after viewing this film was that it represented the highest level of filmmaking – including superb acting, a complex story that fits today’s narrative, and the most varied and diverse score I can recall from many years of moviegoing. After a couple of days to mull it over, I believe it’s possible that my initial reaction somehow underrated this instant classic. High praise should be no surprise since the film is the work of writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson – the man behind such cinematic gems as LICORICE PIZZA (2021), PHANTOM THREAD (2017), THE MASTER (2012), THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007), PUNCH DRUNK LOVE (2002), MAGNOLIA (1999), BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997), and HARD EIGHT (1996).
Greetings again from the darkness. You’ve likely heard the old saying that you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Well, the same goes for a lie … and sometimes even an innocent lie takes on a life of its own and begins to wreak havoc. This happens to Eleanor, and yet we somehow empathize with her in this film that is not just the first screenplay from Tory Kamen, it’s also the first feature film directed by Scarlett Johnansson.
Greetings again from the darkness. I’m not normally the target market for romantic philosophy-of-life movies, so it seems apropos that one I connect with is likely to be labeled maudlin or sappy by others. Being a big fan of director Kogonada’s underrated COLUMBUS (2017), I was interested to see him team up again with his AFTER YANG (2021) star Colin Farrell, in a blacklist script from writer Seth Reiss (THE MENU, 2022).
Greetings again from the darkness. Marlon Brando was a true Hollywood legend. Renowned for his performances in such movies as A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), and of course, THE GODFATHER (1972). He was nominated for eight Oscars, winning three. Despite his on-screen fame, Brando was an enigma in life. Sexual escapades, a commitment to causes, a neighbor and friend to Jack Nicholson, and his own French Polynesian island contributed to the mystique. It’s that private island which writer-director Bill Fishman (nearly a 40-year career of music videos) focuses on here.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 