Post by StevePulaski on Mar 31, 2011 22:56:58 GMT -5
There are a lot of baseball films in the world. Major League is a good franchise gone wrong. It's the kind of franchise that never needed to be one, but was going to be one, and was going to run out of steam in the process. When it comes to baseball, there are enough problems in the sport that can occur to span over ten films. There is material, but it's execution and delivery needs to be fresh and worthy. Major League gets it right the first time, but sporadically falls into a ditch in the middle of the second film. Overall, the franchise gets a C-. Good first half, so-so second half, by the third half, fans were leaving the stadium.
Here is my take on the entire franchise and my feelings on a real third film.
Major League (1989).
Rating: ★★★
Major League is not only a comedy film with numerous laughs, it proves itself to be one of the grand-daddies of baseball comedies. A League of Their Own and Bull Durham are also among the list although those are more towards the drama genre. I attend various minor league baseball games a year. Approximately twelve. I love them. Being a Chicagoan, I think I'd rather watch minor league teams than major league teams.
Some may call that strange, but I love the entertainment and the "close to home" feel provided by a minor league game. There are tons of events on the field to keep me interested, and I know pretty much every cop and concession stand employee there thanks to my father. It's an enjoyable time. I walk around most of the game, chat with various officers, it's a damn good time.
On with the film. I can discuss Minors vs. Majors in a separate blog. After the Cleveland Indians' owner dies, her husband Rachel (Whitton) inherits the team. She plans to make the team as poor as possible so they can move the team to Miami. To put it simply, she sabotages the team, the stadium, and everything else in various ways to assure a poor season.
The team is mainly made up of rookies like Willie "Mays" Hayes (Snipes), Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Sheen), and Jake Taylor (Berenger). They're acceptable players, but no where near as good as they should be.
One thing I really enjoyed and found worthwhile about Major League is the fact that we get closer into Jake Taylor's relationship life. It's good that all the fun doesn't take place on the field, and we get a wider variety and an indepth look on one player's life. I would've liked to hear more about Lou Brown's (Gammon) career and more about some other players. But at least it's not all about on the field interactions.
Charlie Sheen, James Gammon, and Wesley Snipes were all great in the film. It's a little sad that Gammon died this past July, and news about it really didn't surface too much. Not looking at Gammon's filmography, I assume his career wasn't made up of too many more famous roles like his portrayal of Lou Brown.
Charlie Sheen was extremely hilarious in this film, but watching it only makes me more sad about he just continues to make an ass of himself to the media. His career is going straight into the ground as of now. In this film he was extremely handsome, but now his image makes him look older than he is, and his reputation is plummeting into the ground. Oh well, his role as Wild Thing was, say, WINNING.
Wesley Snipes is fantastic in this as well playing Willy "Mays" Hayes. He is absolutely funny, and a great addition to the cast. Too bad for him as well because since Snipes refuses to pay his taxes, he is in prison until 2013. I really enjoyed him in movies like Blade and Passenger 57.
What truly scares me is that this film has spawned two sequels. This kind of film can only be done well once, passably a second time, and pretty much end horrifically with a third film. Back to the Minors could easily make or break the franchise. Why make a sequel when Berenger and Sheen don't even return? It's all about the benjamins.
Major League can be summed up with a few statements. An enjoyable baseball comedy, a cast of greats, but a cast of people whose lives either ended tragically or just were forgotten.
Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo, James Gammon, Margaret Whitton, and Wesley Snipes. Directed by: David S. Ward.
Major League II (1994).
The boys are back and in uniform in Major League II.
Rating: ★★½
Major League II is a lost cause at best. It's one of those films you know will have a sequel, but you don't want there to be a sequel. You want the film to leave off on a good note and not be inhabited by sequels of lesser quality. Instead, Major League did what was predicted and made a sequel that is (a) PG and not on par with the original and (b) doesn't include all of the original actors.
I could tell from the beginning of the film that director David S. Ward, also director of the first film, really wanted to get everyone back to do a great sequel. Rene Russo and Wesley Snipes, big names in the first film, are now absent. Snipes is replaced with Omar Epps, who is decent, but not as funny as the way Snipes portrayed the character of Willy Mays Hayes.
The plot: The Indians open up next season confident because of their big surprise last year. But some changes have been made. Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Sheen), the team's star player, has quit sporting his bad boy image and now has a cleaner act. Jake Taylor (Berenger), the Indians catcher, still has serve knee problems and is on his last leg (no pun intended). Roger Dorn (Bernsen) retired from the Indians to later buy the team from Rachel Phelps. And the team's oddball player Pedro Cerrano (Haysbert) has converted to Buddhism and is way more of a relaxed player.
Major League II is more or less a remake of the first film with some new little perks. The screenwriter didn't want to experiment with much so the film is just the Indians struggling at the beginning of the season to become respectable players by the end once more. When it comes to baseball movies there isn't a whole lot of originality. The end will surprise virtually no one.
The character I still find hilarious is Lou Brown (Gammon). As well as the character of the Indians announcer Harry Doyle (Uecker) who has a major alcohol problem throughout the season while announcing the games. Absolute hilarity in both of these actors.
One character I grew tired of fast was Isuro Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi). His on screen actors are utterly atrocious and just unfunny especially when he gets into fights with Pedro Cerrano. The obsessed, fair weather Indians fan played by Randy Quaid is nothing but annoying as well.
Several things drag Major League II in the gutter, but it still is a fair sequel. I feel that this is a beginning of an end though. I feel this is the best sequel to Major League we're going to get. It's sad. But most likely true as I've heard nothing but average to poor reviews of Back to the Minors.
Director David S. Ward wants to get Berenger, Sheen, and Snipes back for a third film but I find that highly unlikely. Berenge has gotten too old and probably lost interest. Good luck getting Sheen to put a pause on his Two and a Half Men drama to do it, Snipes is in prison till 2013, and Gammon is dead. Major League III, if it will happen, is highly unlikely. That is no error. Ward wants the film to be titled Major League III, even though chronologically it's Major League IV.
Regardless, I feel Back to the Minors will conclude the series good or bad. It looks like Major League II will be the best Major League sequel out there. This could've all been avoided if we just left the film alone where it was; a funny and clever baseball comedy.
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, Omar Epps, David Keith, Margaret Whitton, James Gammon, and Bob Uecker. Directed by: David S. Ward.
Major League: Back to the Minors (1998).
Rating: ★
"Hey Mr. Berenger! Would you like to play your character Jake Taylor in Major League 3?" "No thanks." "Please!" "Nope." "Mr. Sheen, would you consider reprising your role as Wild Thing in Major League 3?" "Nope." "Please!" "Nope." "Mr. Bernsen, would you like to reprise your role as Roger Dorn for Major League 3?" "Why not?" "Yeah! Now we can make an unnecessary sequel!"
That my friends is quite possibly how Major League: Back to the Minors got made. Or was it the fact that around the time this film was made the Cleveland Indians were winning and making a film about a group of misfit underdogs on the same team that is really doing well in real life would be a curse? Regardless, it should've been left alone. Now we got a nice, nearly unrelated sequel leaching off of the Major League franchise.
David S. Ward, director of both previous films, has been docked down to co-writer of this mess. Something told me that even he wasn't fully on board with this film. Back to the Minors turns the tables from the Indians to the Minnesota Twins, the team Roger Dorn (Bernsen) now owns. The film focuses on Gus Cantrell (Bakula), a minor league pitcher for a team called the Fort Myers Miracle.
Roger offers Gus a job coaching the Twins' minor league affiliate the South Carolina Buzz. Two of the members from the Cleveland Indians team return. Those are Pedro Cerrano (Haysbert) and Taka Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi). Wonderful because I wasn't too big of a fan of Cerrano and couldn't stand Tanaka.
When you can't get the two leads who made a film what it was, don't make a sequel to a film without them. Don't think a crappy spinoff is treating the fans to something special. It isn't.
Thank the lord Bob Uecker reprises his role as the alcoholic Indians announcer. But this time he is announcing the Buzz? The film doesn't even provide an answer to why Cerrano, Tanaka, and the announcer are now with the Buzz. They all looked great last season, why did the Indians trade them? Is Jake Taylor still the manager of the Indians? Did the team trade Wild Thing? Did they win the World Series? The film doesn't provide the answer to questions fans are asking.
Major League: Back to the Minors is now the big wart on the entire franchise. There never needed to be a third film. The idea should've been scrapped when Berenger and Sheen said they wouldn't return. But of course, the money is what matters. Not even James Gammon comes back as a cameo. This film is one of the most tasteless and lackadaisical sequels I've ever seen.
Starring: Scott Bakula, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, Ted McGinley, Takaaki Ishibashi, and Bob Uecker. Directed by: John Warren.
Major League follow up in the works?
David S. Ward wants to direct a "real" Major League III. It would be sort of a follow up in the series and maintain the real "III" in the title. So, in a way Major League: Back to the Minors is like Major League 2.5? I don't know. What I do know is that Major League III, IV, whatever probably won't happen. Charlie Sheen is an ongoing joke in the media, but might consider it, and I use that term loosely, since not being on Two and a Half Men may leave him with less money. Not winning.
Tom Berenger has gotten to be too old, Wesley Snipes won't be on any films sets until his jail sentence is up in 2013, and James Gammon, the Indians' manager Lou Brown, is dead. Corbin Bernsen likely has lost interest as well. Not too sure about Dennis Haysbert either. The point is Major League had it's fifteen minutes. I'll definitely see it when released, but my hopes are no higher than the Indians actually winning another World Series.
Here is my take on the entire franchise and my feelings on a real third film.
Major League (1989).
Rating: ★★★
Major League is not only a comedy film with numerous laughs, it proves itself to be one of the grand-daddies of baseball comedies. A League of Their Own and Bull Durham are also among the list although those are more towards the drama genre. I attend various minor league baseball games a year. Approximately twelve. I love them. Being a Chicagoan, I think I'd rather watch minor league teams than major league teams.
Some may call that strange, but I love the entertainment and the "close to home" feel provided by a minor league game. There are tons of events on the field to keep me interested, and I know pretty much every cop and concession stand employee there thanks to my father. It's an enjoyable time. I walk around most of the game, chat with various officers, it's a damn good time.
On with the film. I can discuss Minors vs. Majors in a separate blog. After the Cleveland Indians' owner dies, her husband Rachel (Whitton) inherits the team. She plans to make the team as poor as possible so they can move the team to Miami. To put it simply, she sabotages the team, the stadium, and everything else in various ways to assure a poor season.
The team is mainly made up of rookies like Willie "Mays" Hayes (Snipes), Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Sheen), and Jake Taylor (Berenger). They're acceptable players, but no where near as good as they should be.
One thing I really enjoyed and found worthwhile about Major League is the fact that we get closer into Jake Taylor's relationship life. It's good that all the fun doesn't take place on the field, and we get a wider variety and an indepth look on one player's life. I would've liked to hear more about Lou Brown's (Gammon) career and more about some other players. But at least it's not all about on the field interactions.
Charlie Sheen, James Gammon, and Wesley Snipes were all great in the film. It's a little sad that Gammon died this past July, and news about it really didn't surface too much. Not looking at Gammon's filmography, I assume his career wasn't made up of too many more famous roles like his portrayal of Lou Brown.
Charlie Sheen was extremely hilarious in this film, but watching it only makes me more sad about he just continues to make an ass of himself to the media. His career is going straight into the ground as of now. In this film he was extremely handsome, but now his image makes him look older than he is, and his reputation is plummeting into the ground. Oh well, his role as Wild Thing was, say, WINNING.
Wesley Snipes is fantastic in this as well playing Willy "Mays" Hayes. He is absolutely funny, and a great addition to the cast. Too bad for him as well because since Snipes refuses to pay his taxes, he is in prison until 2013. I really enjoyed him in movies like Blade and Passenger 57.
What truly scares me is that this film has spawned two sequels. This kind of film can only be done well once, passably a second time, and pretty much end horrifically with a third film. Back to the Minors could easily make or break the franchise. Why make a sequel when Berenger and Sheen don't even return? It's all about the benjamins.
Major League can be summed up with a few statements. An enjoyable baseball comedy, a cast of greats, but a cast of people whose lives either ended tragically or just were forgotten.
Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Rene Russo, James Gammon, Margaret Whitton, and Wesley Snipes. Directed by: David S. Ward.
Major League II (1994).
The boys are back and in uniform in Major League II.
Rating: ★★½
Major League II is a lost cause at best. It's one of those films you know will have a sequel, but you don't want there to be a sequel. You want the film to leave off on a good note and not be inhabited by sequels of lesser quality. Instead, Major League did what was predicted and made a sequel that is (a) PG and not on par with the original and (b) doesn't include all of the original actors.
I could tell from the beginning of the film that director David S. Ward, also director of the first film, really wanted to get everyone back to do a great sequel. Rene Russo and Wesley Snipes, big names in the first film, are now absent. Snipes is replaced with Omar Epps, who is decent, but not as funny as the way Snipes portrayed the character of Willy Mays Hayes.
The plot: The Indians open up next season confident because of their big surprise last year. But some changes have been made. Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn (Sheen), the team's star player, has quit sporting his bad boy image and now has a cleaner act. Jake Taylor (Berenger), the Indians catcher, still has serve knee problems and is on his last leg (no pun intended). Roger Dorn (Bernsen) retired from the Indians to later buy the team from Rachel Phelps. And the team's oddball player Pedro Cerrano (Haysbert) has converted to Buddhism and is way more of a relaxed player.
Major League II is more or less a remake of the first film with some new little perks. The screenwriter didn't want to experiment with much so the film is just the Indians struggling at the beginning of the season to become respectable players by the end once more. When it comes to baseball movies there isn't a whole lot of originality. The end will surprise virtually no one.
The character I still find hilarious is Lou Brown (Gammon). As well as the character of the Indians announcer Harry Doyle (Uecker) who has a major alcohol problem throughout the season while announcing the games. Absolute hilarity in both of these actors.
One character I grew tired of fast was Isuro Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi). His on screen actors are utterly atrocious and just unfunny especially when he gets into fights with Pedro Cerrano. The obsessed, fair weather Indians fan played by Randy Quaid is nothing but annoying as well.
Several things drag Major League II in the gutter, but it still is a fair sequel. I feel that this is a beginning of an end though. I feel this is the best sequel to Major League we're going to get. It's sad. But most likely true as I've heard nothing but average to poor reviews of Back to the Minors.
Director David S. Ward wants to get Berenger, Sheen, and Snipes back for a third film but I find that highly unlikely. Berenge has gotten too old and probably lost interest. Good luck getting Sheen to put a pause on his Two and a Half Men drama to do it, Snipes is in prison till 2013, and Gammon is dead. Major League III, if it will happen, is highly unlikely. That is no error. Ward wants the film to be titled Major League III, even though chronologically it's Major League IV.
Regardless, I feel Back to the Minors will conclude the series good or bad. It looks like Major League II will be the best Major League sequel out there. This could've all been avoided if we just left the film alone where it was; a funny and clever baseball comedy.
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, Omar Epps, David Keith, Margaret Whitton, James Gammon, and Bob Uecker. Directed by: David S. Ward.
Major League: Back to the Minors (1998).
Rating: ★
"Hey Mr. Berenger! Would you like to play your character Jake Taylor in Major League 3?" "No thanks." "Please!" "Nope." "Mr. Sheen, would you consider reprising your role as Wild Thing in Major League 3?" "Nope." "Please!" "Nope." "Mr. Bernsen, would you like to reprise your role as Roger Dorn for Major League 3?" "Why not?" "Yeah! Now we can make an unnecessary sequel!"
That my friends is quite possibly how Major League: Back to the Minors got made. Or was it the fact that around the time this film was made the Cleveland Indians were winning and making a film about a group of misfit underdogs on the same team that is really doing well in real life would be a curse? Regardless, it should've been left alone. Now we got a nice, nearly unrelated sequel leaching off of the Major League franchise.
David S. Ward, director of both previous films, has been docked down to co-writer of this mess. Something told me that even he wasn't fully on board with this film. Back to the Minors turns the tables from the Indians to the Minnesota Twins, the team Roger Dorn (Bernsen) now owns. The film focuses on Gus Cantrell (Bakula), a minor league pitcher for a team called the Fort Myers Miracle.
Roger offers Gus a job coaching the Twins' minor league affiliate the South Carolina Buzz. Two of the members from the Cleveland Indians team return. Those are Pedro Cerrano (Haysbert) and Taka Tanaka (Takaaki Ishibashi). Wonderful because I wasn't too big of a fan of Cerrano and couldn't stand Tanaka.
When you can't get the two leads who made a film what it was, don't make a sequel to a film without them. Don't think a crappy spinoff is treating the fans to something special. It isn't.
Thank the lord Bob Uecker reprises his role as the alcoholic Indians announcer. But this time he is announcing the Buzz? The film doesn't even provide an answer to why Cerrano, Tanaka, and the announcer are now with the Buzz. They all looked great last season, why did the Indians trade them? Is Jake Taylor still the manager of the Indians? Did the team trade Wild Thing? Did they win the World Series? The film doesn't provide the answer to questions fans are asking.
Major League: Back to the Minors is now the big wart on the entire franchise. There never needed to be a third film. The idea should've been scrapped when Berenger and Sheen said they wouldn't return. But of course, the money is what matters. Not even James Gammon comes back as a cameo. This film is one of the most tasteless and lackadaisical sequels I've ever seen.
Starring: Scott Bakula, Corbin Bernsen, Dennis Haysbert, Ted McGinley, Takaaki Ishibashi, and Bob Uecker. Directed by: John Warren.
Major League follow up in the works?
David S. Ward wants to direct a "real" Major League III. It would be sort of a follow up in the series and maintain the real "III" in the title. So, in a way Major League: Back to the Minors is like Major League 2.5? I don't know. What I do know is that Major League III, IV, whatever probably won't happen. Charlie Sheen is an ongoing joke in the media, but might consider it, and I use that term loosely, since not being on Two and a Half Men may leave him with less money. Not winning.
Tom Berenger has gotten to be too old, Wesley Snipes won't be on any films sets until his jail sentence is up in 2013, and James Gammon, the Indians' manager Lou Brown, is dead. Corbin Bernsen likely has lost interest as well. Not too sure about Dennis Haysbert either. The point is Major League had it's fifteen minutes. I'll definitely see it when released, but my hopes are no higher than the Indians actually winning another World Series.