Tag: tim robbins

I don’t believe in quantum physics when it comes to matters of the heart. “Bull Durham” (1988)

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directed by Ron Shelton
© 1988 Orion Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

We’ve just had presidential election in my country and I need to wash my brain in bleach and set it on fire. Or I could also recommend you a rom-com with baseball in the background. I guess the second option sounds better. At least for now. So, let’s move back to the 80s and have fun with very young Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins. That last one plays the role of Nuke, a young guy who perhaps doesn’t like to use his head too often (if you know what I mean), but he’s quite of a talent when it comes to baseball. In order to calm him down and work on his technique, Crash (Kevin Costner), a player with more years of experience, appears. Obviously, those two start to compete, because they don’t seem to respect each other that much, but there’s also one more reason. And that reason is a woman. Annie (Susan Sarandon) is an absolute groupie of the team and she’s also a dedicated educator, because each year she chooses a different player to have a romance with. And since the guys are younger and less experienced than her, she enjoys being the teacher. What a wonderful person, isn’t she? Things get complicated when Annie finds two players quite interesting – and yes, you’ve guessed it right, those are our two competing roosters. It’s a very relaxing comedy and it gives the 80s vibes so I cannot complain. Generally, it’s a combination of two ideas. One is a picture of a sport team where you don’t only need to be well-trained, but you also need to learn how to be a team-player. A lot of people praised this production for the way it presented baseball and its atmosphere. I cannot say much about it because I’ve never been interested in such sports, so perhaps they are right. The second idea, however, is the love story and the picture of a woman, who finally finds someone to challenge her romantically. What I mean by that is Annie has always been the leader and the dominant figure because she couldn’t find similar or more intense energy from another man. Until Crash has crushed into her heart (please, appreciate this wordplay!). Maybe I don’t know much about sport, but I’m very familiar with Annie’s case and it was fascinating to watch such character. So, if you need some romantic experiences and lots of sweaty men with bats and balls (I’m talking about baseball, obviously!), then grab a cold drink and relax with this trio.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Ain’t nobody with money on death row. “Dead Man Walking” (1995)

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directed by Tim Robbins
© 1995 Gramercy Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s start this post with a very heavy question: if someone kills another person, should they be killed as well? Today, I’d like to recommend you a film that may give you more than one answer to this question. It’s one of those films that don’t slap you with an obvious solution, quite the opposite – they show you all possible perspectives and let you decide on your own. We get to know Matthew (Sean Penn), who, according to the court, committed a horrible crime – he raped and murdered two teenagers. Because of that, he’s been sentenced to death and there’s not even a slightest chance he could avoid it. That is why he is visited by Sister Helen (Susan Sarandon), whose task is to mentally and spiritually support the convict before the day. At first, Matthew is incredibly arrogant and doesn’t see the point of talking to the woman, but Helen is quite extraordinary. She reads the man like an open book and gains his trust quite easily. Despite their differences, those two become friends and everyday it becomes more and more difficult for Helen to accept that she’s talking to a murderer. Therefore, she wants to find a way to save Matthew from the death sentence and give him time to perhaps prove his innocence, which he constantly claims. From now on, Helen is not only fighting for justice, but also for a human life. But there’s an important question coming up: is it right to save a murderer? And to find an answer or get closer to finding an answer to this question, you must see the film. To me, as probably to most of you, this topic is very difficult. Perhaps if we don’t reflect on it too long, it seems obvious to us that if someone took a life, their life should be taken as well. But on the other hand, and that’s a question appearing in the film as well, what’s the difference between being killed by a murderer and being killed by the government? I let you make up your mind, yet to share mine, I believe death sentence shouldn’t exist. Firstly, because numerous sentences have been decided on without strong proofs, so perhaps many innocent people have been killed. Secondly, if we’re absolutely sure about someone’s fault, then we should investigate and understand why they did that. Taking a life in a consequence of some other actions (or lack of them), so it’s important to see whether there’s a chance for rehabilitation. If there’s none, then I believe spending your whole life in prison is a way more devastating punishment than death sentence. Because you need to suffer for all those years knowing that you’ve wasted your life and you can’t get a second chance unless you try changing yourself. Is Matthew innocent? Or is he really a murderer? What happens at the end? You have to see yourselves. This film, except its main topic, is also about humanity and support beyond barriers. And perhaps it’s even more important than how the system works. Besides, you can also see a master performance done by the main two actors, which gave me countless chills in several moments. Marvellous job. So, go ahead and find your answers.

My rating: 8/10
S.

Monogamously challenged. “Nothing to Lose” (1997)

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directed by Steve Oedekerk
© 1997 Buena Vista Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

We’ve recently lost a lovely actress and privately the wife of John Travolta, Kelly Preston. A lot of people write that she’s well-remembered from such productions as “Twins” (1988) or “Jerry Maguire” (1996), however, for me, she will always be Gabby Frost from “Jack Frost” (1998). A gorgeous woman, dedicated mother and loving wife. And I bet the character of Gabby was very much similar to real Kelly, even though I never had a chance to meet her. And today I have a film in which Kelly Preston does play, but it’s a supporting role, so don’t expect to see much of her. Still, it’s a very cool comedy, which you may need to cheer yourselves up and see Kelly on the screen once again, even for a moment. So the main character is Nick Beam (Tim Robbins), who’s an advertising executive, rather successful in life, with a nice house and beautiful wife Ann (Kelly Preston). Unfortunately, one day he gets back home to see his wife having sex with some stranger. The heartbroken man is trying to cope with this situation by driving his car around the city. Then, at some point, a carjacker gets into Nick’s car and tries to rob him. Nick, however, doesn’t give a damn, locks the doors and drives with the carjacker (Martin Lawrence) to… you’ll see. But generally, it’s about a man whose life changes entirely in one day and who definitely gets out of his comfort zone, if I may call it this way. I adore both gentlemen playing the main roles, so for me watching this comedy was pure pleasure. Obviously, professional film critics may say it’s a lame production for masses, but for me, considering it was supposed to be a goofy comedy, it is a very decent goofy comedy. So loosen your ties, relax and enjoy.

My rating: 7/10
S.