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Topic: Hardball (film)

	Reel Criticism - Hardball (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		On the surface "Hardball" has all the appearances of a film that looked like it was going to be very poor, perhaps even painful to watch.
		In "Hardball" there is no reason not to believe that he is Conor, he plays the part perfectly and the inner battle we see Conor going through looks so real.
		"Hardball" is easily one of the best pictures of the year and if you are looking to get away from anything to silly or horror related this one is exactly what you are looking for.
	www.reelcriticism.com /reviews/review_hardball.html (859 words)

	Mark Litwak's Entertainment Law Resources - Biography - Playing Hardball in Hollywood
		Litwak created a similar incident at another film distribution event when pamphlets were handed out at the door listing the facts of a lawsuit Litwak’s client had against one of the main people inside.
		The experience was short-lived, but it gave him an insight into the politics of movie making, and how independent film makers, desperate to release their films, were like lambs to the slaughter to unscrupulous distributors.
		The opportunities for big returns on low-budget films are becoming more apparent, with the success of films such as El Mariachi, Clerks and The Brothers McMullen – the latter costing $100,000 and earning $12 million at the box office.
	www.marklitwak.com /biography/hardball.html (854 words)

	Hard Ball (2001) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		It's a terrific example of a mainstream film that squeezes itself sufficiently out of the comfort zone to be both thought provoking and moving without too often lapsing into the triteness we see so often.
		Hardball is yet another genre movie about a desperate white guy (Keanu Reeves) forced into coaching a children's sporting team from a rough fl neighbourhood.
		Hardball shows their world as being one where they are rightfully scared to be out after dark.
	us.imdb.com /Title?0180734 (772 words)

	DVD Review: Hardball
		"Hardball" is an interesting film in the way that it's one of the few in recent months that, while I found it noticably flawed, I still found it hard not to like; it shouldn't work as well as it occasionally does.
		The film's main problem is that there's not a single plot twist or event that isn't able to be seen from miles away.
		What saves the film, at least during several moments, is that the emotions really seem genuine and, as a result - at least briefly here and there - the film is moving.
	www.currentfilm.com /dvdreviews4/hardballdvd.html (1031 words)

	Hardball Listing at Box Office Prophets (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		The irony behind Hardball is that the PC sensibilities of the easily offended have been shaken by the realistic screenplay dialogue of elementary school-aged kids who actually engage in regular and unabashed use of profanity, which is why those very same aged kids are excluded from an unfettered PG-13 access to the film.
		Since the language in the film had been the source of quite a bit of controversy in the Chicago area, expect this olive branch to draw positive attention to the film in one of its most targeted markets (Hardball is set in Cabrini Green).
		Hardball continued the somewhat-hot streak for Paramount in the summer/fall of 2001.
	www.boxofficeprophets.com /tickermaster/sep2001/hardball.asp (518 words)

	Hardball DVD review on AudioRevolution.com
		Despite the dark side of the film, the story is primarily an uplifting experience, a story about kids and baseball, hope and dreams.
		"Hardball" the movie is a lot different than the nonfiction book bearing the same name by Daniel Cohen, but the depiction of the world is a slice of life and death from reality.
		"Hardball" is a good way to kick off the coming season, sitting at home with a bag of popcorn and a big Coke, while waiting ‘til the weather gets truly warm enough to drive the long ball over the fence.
	www.avrev.com /dvd/revs/hardball.shtml (1326 words)

	Review: Hardball (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		Hardball has variously been compared to The Bad News Bears and The Mighty Ducks, but this movie strives to be more hard-hitting than either of those family-friendly, comedic efforts.
		Hardball is about a reluctant baseball coach who changes the lives of his pre-teen players even as they change his perspective on his own existence.
		Hardball is a sea of underdeveloped plot elements.
	movie-reviews.colossus.net /movies/h/hardball.html (639 words)

	BBC News \| FILM \| US box office rallies
		Sports drama Hardball has topped the US and Canada box office in a strong movie-going weekend despite the terrorist attacks.
		The film tells the story of a down-and-out gambler goaded into coaching an inner-city youth baseball team.
		According to advance figures by Exhibitor, which tracks film earnings, the melodrama opened at number one in the US box office, taking $10.1m (£6.84m).
	news.bbc.co.uk /hi/english/entertainment/film/newsid_1548000/1548109.stm (307 words)

	Hardball (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		Hardball also must have a pretty big pair of cojones, boasting itself in ads as "The Bad News Bears for the new millennium." But not only does Robbins touch upon the ancient childhood love of playing ball, he opens the audience's eyes to the harsh reality inner-city kids face every day of their lives.
		In fact, the film's main problem is that it focuses too much on Reeves's sadsack coach, whom the script makes it abundantly clear is down on his luck, and not enough on the kids.
		But in the meantime, the kids get enough exposure to leave their marks on the film, the comedy and drama are well-balanced, and Robbins provides the audience with some good baseball action (including a last game that generates no suspense as to its outcome but is nevertheless exciting and affective).
	www.ajhakari.com /h/hardball.html (1030 words)

	Reno News and Review Film review - September 20, 2001 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		Hardball, starring Keanu Reeves as a down-and-out gambler coaching some inner city project kids in a youth baseball league, tries to be something akin to a modern-day remake of that classic, but it falls significantly short.
		The film follows some of the basic blueprints for a youth sports movie: the chubby kid with asthma; the pitcher who can only throw strikes if he can use his headphones, etc. The cast packs enough talent to overcome these stereotypes.
		Warren is this film's equivalent of Bears' Tanner Boyle, the pipsqueak smart mouth with knowledge beyond his years.
	www.newsreview.com /issues/reno/2001-09-20/Film.asp (627 words)

	Syracuse New Times: Film Review (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		John Gatins' screenplay is derived from Daniel Coyle's book Hardball: A Season in the Projects, in which the author coached a team of urban youth from the Windy City's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project (also the location for Clive Barker's 1992 scare package Candyman).
		In fact, Hardball was initially awarded an R rating (which is still visible on some prerelease movie posters) until saner heads at Paramount apparently administered cuts to get the all-ages PG-13 needed to score at the box office.
		Hardball yields a moderately comfortable inning, with a cameo appearance by slugger Sammy Sosa as a reminder that even slum kids can be all that they can be, but there's nothing substantial here to belt it out of the ballpark, either.
	newtimes.rway.com /films/hardball.htm (477 words)

	Hardball Movie Review by Anthony Leong from MediaCircus.net
		In the past year, with films such as "The Replacements" and "Sweet November", it seems that the thirty-seven year old actor has been drawn to films about men overcoming their personal demons on the road to redemption.
		Such is the case with his latest role in "Hardball" (based on the memoirs of Daniel Coyle), where Reeves plays a compulsive gambler tasked with coaching an inner-city kids' baseball team.
		True, "Hardball" is a rehash of films such as "The Bad News Bears", and it hits all the notes that you would expect.
	www.mediacircus.net /hardball.html (629 words)

	Scotsman.com News - Features - FILM REVIEW: Hardball (12)
		HARDBALL took some heat in the United States last year when Chicago city officials complained that its portrayal of the baseball-loving ghetto kids from the city’s notoriously deprived Cabrini-Green housing project was "overly negative".
		Accusing the film - based on Daniel Coyle’s acclaimed memoir, Hardball: A Season in the Projects - of misrepresenting Afro-American children as trash-talking reprobates, their protests led to Paramount ordering a last-minute edit to remove some of the more brazen language.
		It’s the language that gives Hardball a sense of authenticity (and humour) and for the most part this pleasingly uplifting Keanu Reeves vehicle eschews gang-banger gangsta stereotypes in favour of a pre-teen perspective on inner-city life not usually found in such mainstream fare.
	news.scotsman.com /features.cfm?id=669802002 (623 words)

	TNMC: Untitled Deadpool Column
		Hardball is about down on his luck Conor O'Neill (Keanu Reeves).
		The final straw for me is when the film ends before the final game with the big rival begins.
		There was a test-screening of the film in LA recently.
	www.tnmc.org /dp/0401011.shtml (1199 words)

	JS Online: Weary Reeves wears game face for 'Hardball'
		In fact, many believe that promotional activities on behalf of his new film "Hardball" here marked the first time that a film not in the festival was promoted during it.
		Reeves called "Hardball" a "positive, life-affirming movie." Although the rough language was toned down to earn the film a PG-13 rating, some parents might find it objectionable.
		All Reeves would say about the next two "Matrix" films, which are being filmed simultaneously, is that the physical and emotional requirements of the movies are "far more demanding" than in the original.
	www.jsonline.com /onwisconsin/movies/sep01/keanu17091601.asp?format=print (755 words)

	JoBlo reviews the movie "Hardball"
		The "projects" shown in this film are a place that would scare the crap out of any living adult, and sadly, many children live and breathe there every day.
		I was touched by this film and hope to bring some attention to it with this review.
		Hardball did not make me think, nor did it change my life in any way.
	www.joblo.com /hardball.htm (1602 words)

	The DVD Journal \| Quick Reviews: Hardball (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		In 2000 it was the team-that-comes-from-behind football film The Replacements, a movie about a bunch of pro-football wannabes who get a shot at the big time when the real players go on strike.
		Hardball tells the story of Conor O'Neill (Reeves), a hard-drinking, gambling-obsessed ne'er-do-well who has amassed a large debt owed to the kind of people who make offers you can't refuse.
		The film is so realistic, in fact, that the scenes of violence serve as a warning not to mistake this film for feel-good hokum.
	www.dvdjournal.com /quickreviews/h/hardball.q.shtml (430 words)

	Hardball (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Hardball is a 2001 film directed by Brian Robbins.
		It is based on the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle.
		Tagline: The most important thing in life is showing up.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Hardball_(film) (148 words)

	DVD Booty - Hardball
		If this were a foreign film, the reviewers would be falling all over themselves to give it 5 stars.
		Although the Reeves character's gambling addiction is apparent, one does not get a full sense of his inner torment, other than his eventual desire to quit gambling by sublimating his energies into coaching a ghetto baseball team.
		And although his highly suspicious fl team members obviously give him a break by letting him coach them, their motivations for wanting to play baseball in the first place - rather than more culturally-correct basketball, for example - are equally unclear.
	www.dvdbooty.com /dvds/hardball (559 words)

	SCREEN IT! ARTISTIC REVIEW: HARDBALL
		Anyone looking for any of that should probably avoid "Hardball," a routine film that follows the predictable path to such a degree that it could very well end up in the dictionary as yet another definition of the term.
		Based on Daniel Coyle's literary work, "Hardball: A Season in the Projects," that itself was based on real-life events, the film follows the standard trajectory of a loser who finds redemption by helping the young and unfortunate who find hope and inspiration through him.
		All of that said, and taking the predictability matter into consideration, the film may appeal to some less discerning, mainstream moviegoers who are typically suckers for pictures like this.
	www.screenit.com /ourtake/2001/hardball.html (1260 words)

	Chapman University News Release (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		"Hardball with Chris Matthews," MSNBC's unrivaled Washington, D.C.-based series, will be telecast live from Chapman University in Orange, CA Wednesday, Oct.23 (9-10 p.m.
		At the end of the school year, "Hardball" will telecast a final tournament with the top 10 students from the dozens who have competed on the tour, to determine a "Hardball Hotseat" winner.
		The final "Hardball Hotseat" winner who will receive a $10,000 scholarship award plus a $5,000 grant for their college.
	www.chapman.edu /pubrel/newsreleases/newsreleases02_03/2002-09-19_hardball.html (195 words)

	IGN: Hardball Review
		In one respect, the movie is not too surprising given its premise: The kids have all kinds of chances to be cute (or obnoxious, depending on your point of view); there's a sweet romance between Conor and the kids' dedicated teacher (Diane Lane); there's a big game that the team has to win...
		But this is a sincere, well-made film that is far better than many might think it could be.
		Hardball may not quite be a home run, but it's certainly no strike-out.
	filmforce.ign.com /articles/305/305896p1.html (657 words)

	The Popkorn Junkie :: Hardball
		The makers of both films ("RTP" and "Hardball") try to end the story on an up-note, with a sort of "life goes on..." message, but it doesn't work.
		A lot of people saw "Hardball" this weekend (it was #1 at the box office) and I'm sure they thought it would lift their spirits a little, I hope it did, but I doubt it-- Keanu singing "Big Pappa" can only keep you smiling for so long.
		Hardball isn't a great movie, but it's not a bad movie either.
	popkornjunkie.com /reviews/hardball.html (639 words)

	Hardball (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		With surprising melodrama, the film packs some powerful emotional swings that will hearten the toughest of jeering crowds.
		``Hardball'' has lighter moments and loads of sentiment, but that's all neatly stitched into a package of somber grittiness, bitter life lessons and teary tragedy.
		``Hardball'' blends its seemingly disparate elements into a coherent film that's entertaining, funny, sad and even a bit uplifting and inspirational.
	www.countingdown.com /movies/287555?item_id=298760&print=1 (158 words)

	Hardball Review :: Hollywood.com (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		Above all, it's a relief not to have to witness a gushy romance between Reeves and Lane, whose dedicated grade school teacher is appropriately low-key.
		Hardball is based on Daniel Coyle's novel Hardball: A Season in the Projects, which was inspired by a true story, a genre that can sometimes lead to too-cute, too-sappy films.
		Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
	www.hollywood.com /movies/reviews/movie/1092090 (603 words)

	BBC News \| FILM \| Films slump in US
		The baseball film Hardball has spent a second week at the top of the US and Canadian box offices, according to preliminary figures.
		The one new film which did get a nationwide release, Mariah Carey's Glitter, made just $2.5m (£1.7m) after a critical drubbing - and failed to reach the top 10.
		Hardball, starring Keanu Reeves, took $8.2m (£5.6m) in its second weekend of release, bringing its total box office take to $19.4m (£13.3m).
	news.bbc.co.uk /1/hi/entertainment/film/1560264.stm (270 words)

	The Matrix Reloaded
		In the film, Reeves is seen selling tickets outside a Bulls game, which is apparently being played at Cobo.
		Reeves says the next two Matrix chapters "are so beyond the first film it's unbelievable." Without revealing anything about the plot, he promises the films will be deeper and more elaborate in every way, especially in regard to story.
		Reeves will be in Australia for nine months making the films, but he's not one of those movie stars who takes along a squad of assistants or a posse of pals for diversion.
	www.angelfire.com /film/aust/matrix1.htm (1746 words)

	The Guide -- Reeves' Hackneyed 'Hardball' Gets Caught Looking
		The makers of Hardball attempted to give the film a hard edge not present in the other films of this mold, and sell it as a gritty tale of urban life.
		In Hardball, these children take a back seat and the audience is forced to put up with Reeves' character - whose emotional status is best compared to a schizophrenic on crack - to sort out his problems.
		The logline for the film is, "The most important thing in life is showing up." However, I think that you will be able to forgive yourself if you don't show up to see Hardball.
	www.thehoya.com /guide/091401/guide4.cfm (703 words)

	U-WIRE.com/FILM REVIEW: 'Hardball' hard to swallow (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-31)
		A bigger problem is that the first three quarters and the last quarter of the film seem to be completely different.
		The film is primarily about human redemption with baseball as a background.
		The film drops the ball on what could have been an interesting and human story.
	www.uwire.com /content/topae092601003.html (442 words)

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