Bad News Bears 1976  PG, 102 min.
Genre: Comedy / Family / Drama
Director: Michael Ritchie
Cast: Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, Vic Morrow, Joyce Van Patten, Ben Piazza, Jackie Earle Haley, Alfred Lutter III, Brandon Cruz, Shari Summers, Joe(2) Brooks, Chris Barnes, Erin Blunt, Gary Lee Cavagnaro, Jaime Escobedo, Scott Firestone
Little League baseball coach Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) is determined to train a bunch of unruly kids into a winning unit. This movie is very funny as the ludicrous, beer-guzzling Buttermaker employs a special tactic–Amanda (Tatum O'Neal)–as the catalyst to make winners out of his foul-mouthed players. Followed by two sequels and remade in 2005.
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The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training 1977  PG, 99 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Michael Pressman
Cast: William Devane, Clifton James, Jackie Earle Haley, Jimmy Baio, Chris Barnes, Fred Stuthman, Lane Smith, Pat Corley, Alfred Lutter III, Erin Blunt, George Gonzales, Jaime Escobedo, Brett Marx, David Pollock, David Stambaugh
This sequel to "The Bad News Bears" just does not have the gusto of the original film. Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley) is back on the team, and his father, Mike (William Devane), is coerced into becoming the coach.
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The Florentine 1999  R, 104 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Nick Stagliano
Cast: Jeremy Davies, Virginia Madsen, Luke Perry, Mary Stuart Masterson, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Hal Holbrook, Tom Sizemore, James Belushi, Lillo Brancato, Maeve Quinlan, Robert Downs, Burt Young, Chris Barnes, Jill Hennessy
Whitey (Michael Madsen) owns a Pennsylvania bar where losers–Robbie (Chris Penn), Truby (Jeremy Davies), Smitty (Hal Holbrook), and Frankie (Luke Perry)–come together and brood over their sad lots in life. Whitey is deeply in debt to loan shark Joe McCullough (Burt Young) who is being distracted by Whitey's friend Robbie, but there are more problems as well. His pal Frankie has lost the cash Whitey had planned to use for his sister Molly's (Virginia Madsen) wedding, and now her ex-boyfriend (Tom Sizemore) has returned, and more problems rise to the fore. But, Smitty just may prove to be the unlikely hero in this sad state of affairs, and Smitty just might save the day.
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 Much Ado About Nothing 1993 PG-13, 110 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Briers, Brian Blessed, Patrick Doyle, Imelda Staunton, Jimmy Yuill, Andy Hockley, Chris Barnes, Phyllida Law
Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), Don John (Keanu Reeves), Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), and Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) return home from battle and arrive in the village of Messina. Governor Leonato (Richard Briers) greets them, and Claudio falls in love with Leonato's daughter Hero (Kate Beckinsale), but Don John turns her against Claudio. Meanwhile, Beatrice (Emma Thompson) tries to gain the reluctant Benedick's love. Don Pedro steps in bringing both couples together under a false premise, and love blooms. This film will make Shakespeare fans out of even the most dubious. The sound track lingers long after viewing, and the two couples provide insight into two different styles of love.
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| 1. Bad News Bears (1976)
2. The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977)
3. The Florentine (1999)
4. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
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