Archive for April, 2009

Eight Days To Live

April 5th, 2009

Eight Days To Live is a 2006 TV film produced by CTV about a mother who organizes a search and rescue for her son who drives off the road in the Northern Fraser Valley of British Columbia.

Kelly Rowan stars as Teresa Spring, a real-life woman who spent over a week in 2001 searching against all hope for her son Joe, who went missing in the rough interior of BC.

In May of 2001, Joe Spring set out from Aldergrove, BC on a long, lonely drive down the desolate winding roads of British Columbia’s rugged interior. A few hours into his journey, his sports car drifted off the highway, soaring down a steep embankment. His body broken, Joe lay trapped in the crumpled wreck of his car for eight days without food or water, where he clung to life, awaiting a miracle. The riveting story made headlines across the country and around the world.

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The Patriot (2000 film)

April 5th, 2009

The Patriot is a 2000 epic war film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Robert Rodat, and starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger. It was produced by the Mutual Film Company and Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film mainly takes place in South Carolina (and was entirely filmed there) and depicts the story of a war hero swept into the American Revolutionary War when his family is threatened. The protagonist, Benjamin Martin, is loosely based on real Continental Army officer Francis Marion. The Patriot was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Music Score.

» Read more: The Patriot (2000 film)

The Sandlot

April 4th, 2009

The Sandlot is a 1993 film about young baseball players. The film was directed by David Evans and was released with the title The Sandlot Kids in Australia and the United Kingdom. The title was later changed to simply The Sandlot in all countries for a DVD release.

Plot summary

The film is told through the perspective of Scotty Smalls, who is reminiscing on his first summer in Los Angeles. In 1962, Smalls moves with his mother and stepfather to a new neighborhood, and struggles to make new friends. One afternoon, he decides to follow a group of neighborhood boys, and watches them play an improvised game of baseball at a small field, which they call the “sandlot.” Smalls is reluctant to join their game, as he fears he will be ridiculed on account of his inexperience. Nevertheless, he chooses to play with them, but fails to catch a simple fly ball and properly throw the ball back to his infielders. All the other players, except for Benny Rodriguez, begin to jeer Smalls for committing defensive miscues, prompting him to leave the sandlot in embarrassment. Benny, who is the best player in the neighborhood, shields Smalls from the insults of his peers, and invites him to rejoin their game. He proceeds to give Smalls advice and helps him earn the respect of the other players. In time, Smalls is accepted and becomes an integral part of the team.

» Read more: The Sandlot