Post Five: Field of Dreams

My friends over at I’m Just Sayin… recently posted A Top Movies of all time and covered all of the best movies ever produced. This was quite an undertaking and required a lot of research on their part. Part of that research included polling readers on their top five movies of all time. I had quite a time deciding on my top five but I have included my email to them and how my top five was chosen. My focus on this blog is related to a quote from Field of Dreams.

Apr 14, 2012

From: Kevin Horres

To: I’m Just Sayin…

Not there yet but maybe if I put something down it will help me get to a top 5. I told you I had a list of about 56 without even thinking too hard but I knew some of those wouldn't make the top ten.  Here is a dwindled list in no particular order...I will follow with a top 5 soon.

Star Wars (all good but episode IV will be the choice when the list is done)
Die Hard (all good but first will be the representative here)
Indiana Jones (all good but Raiders... will be rep here)
Borne Series (all good may be Identity or Ultimatum that makes list)
Star Trek II - Wrath of Khan (only Star Trek that has a chance)
Rocky (original will be chosen to represent)
The Patriot (Great movie with SC being represented well)
Braveheart (Surprised how much I like this movie too)
Christmas Vacation (Original great too, but this will be the rep for the series)
O Brother Where Art Thou (I was surprised how much I liked and still like that movie) 
Top Gun (when Goose died that was the first time I had to fight back tears from a movie)
Rain Man (I am a Dustin Hoffman fan and I once listed this as a favorite movie when I was in college)
Bull Durham (baseball, enough said)
Field of Dreams (baseball, enough said)
Tombstone (Val Kilmer at his best)
Sudden Impact (Dirty Harry at his best)
The Godfather (Epic, one I and II were best, but III was good many years later)

Notice that there are no Vietnam war movies or WWII movies which could easily be on the list.
No Tom Hanks movies which is unbelievable considering how many of his are top level movies.
No animated movies which there are plenty of good ones.
No "Classic" movies either which deserve all time great status. In fact...

While compiling this list I decided to eliminate any movie created before 1980. From '80 on I was old enough to really remember them as they came out so I will make my list based on that even though that will eliminate some of my top choices. Some of those "classic" movies (1930's-1960's) relied so much on the acting that they are still incredible to watch, and I love them, but my decision to eliminate them is final.

Here it is:

1. The Patriot (Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger as well as the historical significance of this film put it at the top for me)
2. Die Hard (Like I said all good but the first one is too good to not include)
3. Field of Dreams (some people complained that this wasn't realistic, no kidding it is a movie. But it captures the essence of baseball better than any other. And James Earl Jones' character puts it over the top)
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (All are good, but this one is great. Wasn't until much later that I realized Indiana Jones=Han Solo)
5. Christmas Vacation (may be surprising, but as far as true comedies go this one is hard to beat for me)

Well, there you have it. Obviously there are plenty of great movies left off but I can live with this list.

Kevin

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When it comes to baseball movies Field of Dreams ranks at the top of an impressive list for me. (In no particular order) Bull Durham, The Natural, Major League (series), Eight Men Out, The Pride of the Yankees are all incredible movies that capture the essence of baseball and/or the players of the greatest game. I realize that Field of Dreams isn’t a documentary about baseball but it is a movie that captures the essence of baseball. The quote I was referring to:

Terence Mann (Played by James Earl Jones): Ray (Kevin Costner), people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. 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 of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

(http://www.moviefanatic.com/quotes/movies/field-of-dreams/#ixzz1znyUG0aV)

Baseball…no other sport has the statistical significance of baseball. Stats matter in baseball and more categories are added as time progresses. Those stats allow comparisons from multiple generations. However, sometimes it is difficult to compare players from different generations. I once heard Joe Morgan (one of the greatest second baseman of all time) say that one of the ways to rate players is how did they compare of players of their generations.  In other words, were they one of the best players playing during their careers? That is a good way to determine whether or not a player was Hall of Fame material. Field of Dreams captures the essence of baseball beyond the statistics and exposes the spirit of the game. The interactions portrayed by the players from different generations shows that baseball is timeless. If you will watch that movie with the mindset that it is actually a movie and not a documentary of something that actually happened, then you will enjoy it. You will also come away with a greater appreciation of the game of baseball and its impact on American history. Watch Field of Dreams.