BASEBALL - A FILM BY KEN BURNS

BASEBALL - 1994

RATED - NR but probably G/PG for some thematic elements.

RATINGS - 179 Amazon (4.5/5), 68,259 Netflix (4.0/5), 1228 IMDB (9.2/10).

STARRING - Every well known and not so well known baseball player who has contributed to the success of the sport since its beginning.

STORY - This is Ken Burns' epic series on the history of baseball. It is 10 discs for a total of about 20 hours. You don't have to watch them all and you don't have to watch in the chronological order they were produced but once you start it is hard to stop. Even those who may consider themselves marginal baseball fans can enjoy this amazing series. Baseball is so much a part of the history of our country since it began in the 1850's - yes, that's right they played baseball during the Civil War. Sometimes it reflects our culture (racial discrimination until Jackie Robinson) and sometimes it creates culture (hundreds of leagues at all ages playing the game in the beginning). Nobody does documentaries about our life in America better than Ken Burns and he is at his best with BASEBALL. He does a great job of bringing in political and cultural influences on the sport. The sport of baseball and particularly professional baseball does not exist in a vacuum and is subject to the same outside influences as any other institution in America. And, yes, there really was some good in the 'good old days' but there was also a lot that needed fixing and you will experience both during this series. As someone who once stood countless times along the chalk baseline in a straight row with teammates and sang the National Anthem waiting to hear the umpire say 'let's play ball', I can honestly say this is a priceless story of the game of baseball. Thanks, Ken Burns, for helping all of us understand why baseball is America's pastime and so much a part of American life. And for all those whose overly efficient mothers threw out their boxes of baseball cards when they went away to college, this is for you. And for all those sisters (I know at least four) who had to watch hundreds of their brothers' games growing up, this may help you to understand why he was so passionate about the game. Enjoy!!

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

JOHN ADAMS

JOHN ADAMS - 2008

RATED - TV-14. There is a scene of a naked man getting tarred and feathered (full frontal nudity) and a scene of John Adams' daughter being prepared for surgery with one breast fully exposed on the operating table. Both scenes are relatively brief.

RATINGS - 213 Amazon (4.5/5), 56,175 Netflix (4.4/5), 3.432 IMDB (9.1/10).

STARRING - Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney.

AWARDS - Best Actor Award (Giamatti) at Monte-Carlo TV Festival & 3 nominations.

STORY - This made for TV HBO mini-series is outstanding. Based on the book of the same title by David McCullough (watch the extra interviewing him), it is excellent history as well as character study. If Adams was the somewhat cranky but brilliant statesman he is said to be, Paul Giamatti plays it to perfection. Laura Linney is also brilliant as Abigail Adams, every bit the intellectual and emotional equal of John (the film does a great job of showing the important role she played). The more we see of the real history of our founding and its architects, the more amazing the story becomes. These were not perfect men or saints as sometimes is portrayed but flawed human beings with great ideas and the will to persevere and sacrifice personal interests in implementing them. There also was not the harmony and unity that is often implied. Our country was put together in the crucible of debate and compromise and hammering out some very different viewpoints as to what the country should look like. Adams and Jefferson (also portrayed very well by Stephen Dillane) were two opposites in philosophy and personality but who were able to work together (most of the time) for the good of the country (a novel idea for today's politicians). A great story about the founding of America. By the way, did you know BOTH Jefferson & Adams died on July 4, 2026, exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/19/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TRAILER, THE BOOK