The Sandlot

Like it or not, football is catching up with baseball as the great American pastime. It seems bloodlust has seeped into even the most sacred of our country’s traditions, but we can always remember the simpler times—times when baseball remained as American as apple pie (and we’re not talking the McDonald’s variety)—exemplified by beloved films like The Sandlot. It’s the adventure story of the new kid in town, who tries to fit in by playing with a ball signed by Babe Ruth himself, only to lose it over a fence where it’s being guarded by a vicious junk yard dog. The film is a classic, and like all good things, it’s simply a matter of time before Hollywood remakes it—no doubt making it more “relevant” by running the whole plot around a football signed by Michael Vick landing in a prison that’s guarded by feral pit bulls.
Wed., Aug. 5, 6 & 9 p.m., 2009