WSo8M: (5) Field of Dreams vs. (12) Witness

[Guest AG/DC]

Rickey Smith Division, Dyersville, Iowa Regional

Field of Dreams



Witness

[Willets Point]

An all-agrarian match-up but Field of Dreams has the home field advantage.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm probably in the minority, but Field of Dreams was a letdown. I liked the book it was based on, Shoeless Joe, much better.

I voted for Witness, even though it's not quite the popcorn movie that most of the other films in this tournament are.

[dgwphotography]

If you you're going to make a feature film about Shoeless Joe Jackson coming to Iowa, can you please at the very least get him to bat the right way?

That being said, Field of Dreams wins.

[bmfc1]

"The thrill of the grass."

"Dad... wanna have a catch?"

Witness has a topless Kelly McGillis, but FOD is one of the greatest ever.

[Guest themetfairy]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm probably in the minority, but Field of Dreams was a letdown.

I'm with BG. I didn't enjoy FOD - I just thought the characters were stupid. I could suspend disbelief well enough, but the 1980s characters were maddening to me. Thus, my vote went to Witness, which was a solid film.

[Fman99]

I don't have strong feelings for either of these movies, so I will withhold my vote in case a tiebreaker is needed.

[MFS62]

Witness had some of the most beautifully photographed scenes in any movie I've ever seen. It gets my vote.

Later

[Guest sharpie]

Witness, totally. Field of Dreams never did it for me.

[soupcan]

I also did not care for Field of Dreams. Too hokey for my tastes.

Fman - you should vote with me based on Kelly McGillis' breasts.

[Guest AG/DC]

This will go to the wire.

[Fman99]

soupcan wrote: I also did not care for Field of Dreams. Too hokey for my tastes. Fman - you should vote with me based on Kelly McGillis' breasts.

Fmeat will throw his, ahem, support in your direction then. I don't recall no boobies in Field of Dreams, except for maybe James Earl Jones'.

[HahnSolo]

Wow. I thought Witness sucked. Can't believe this is close.

[Guest AG/DC]

Why did you think it sucked?

[HahnSolo]

First, I think Kelly McGillis, even in her prime, was about as entertaining as wood.
Second, I didn't like the idea that a major city cop had to go undercover in the Amish community to keep himself and a witness safe. Didn't safehouses exist in the 80s?
Third, I guess I resist the preachy, "look, these people aren't so strange after all" tone.

[Vic Sage]

I love magical realism, and FOD captures the spirit of the book beautifully. I can't watch that movie without breaking down.

WITNESS is a beautifully wrought cop drama, with Kelly McGillis' ample bosom on display.

A toughie, but i went with FOD.

[Guest AG/DC]

HahnSolo wrote: First, I think Kelly McGillis, even in her prime, was about as entertaining as wood.

Some voters here seem to find wood pretty entertaining.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

I really like both of these movies, but I can't stand Amy Madigan in FoD.
Witness for me.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I enjoyed both of these films. FOD is the one film I nominated for this contest, so it gets my vote in this match up.

[Theoldmole]

This is a baseball board, right? Who are all these people voting for Witness?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That FoD music strain starts me weeping. I'm such a 'mo.

I love Witness too.

damn.

[Benjamin Grimm]

TheOldMole wrote: This is a baseball board, right? Who are all these people voting for Witness?

Just because a movie is about baseball, it doesn't mean we have to love it.

I loved Bull Durham, but Field of Dreams and The Natural didn't really float my boat.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm probably in the minority, but Field of Dreams was a letdown. I liked the book it was based on, Shoeless Joe, much better.

Now, this is one of the rare times when I thought the movie was better than the book, and probably because Kinsella himself had a big hand in the adaptation. I thought he did a good job streamlining the story, and delaying the introduction of the dad until the end.

I think its one of those movies where everything comes together perfectly. And I liked how they incorporated real people into the story. Not just was there really a Moonlight Graham, but the obit they read in the movie, about the doctor who made sure all the kids had glasses and the blue hats for the wife, was Graham's actual obit. They tinkered only with the date, and that was because they wanted to use the re-elect Nixon poster to set the year in the flashback.

I think the music is outstanding, too.

I get weepy everytime I see the thing, which is know is silly.

I visited the field in Dyersville last year, and even spent some time in Galena, Ill. where the Chisolm scenes are filmed. It was pretty special, even if it is a pretend baseball field and an empty house. We took family portraits standing in the corn, on the bleachers and in the outfield with the house in the background.



Of course, I'm the only one not in the photo, since I'm taking it.

[Edgy MD]

It's a pretend baseball field? As in, you can't actually play there?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

You can, and we did. But it's still a movie set, as opposed to a field where they filmed a movie, if that makes sense.

There's a utility pole in centerfield and a power or phone line running over the field. I'm guessing that was added after the movie, but I don't know for sure.

Was pretty cool, though. There are two souvenir stands because the field is on two pieces of property and the two sides can't get along. But I was diplomatic and bought stuff from both.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Field of Dreams goes the distance, 18-12

[Edgy MD]

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/camera.gifhttp://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/camera.gifThe Daily Crap Baseball More Popular Choice of Cornfield Activity Than Screwing, Survey Finds Edgy Votes with Minority Forum Shocker! Hot! Not Hot!