Christopher_S
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2001
- Messages
- 121
A couple weeks ago, I had the chance to attend a screening of "This Old Cub", an independent documentary on former Chicago Cubs third-baseman Ron Santo. The film was made by Ron's son Jeff, who held a brief Q&A after the show.
As a lifelong Cubs fan, I knew I would enjoy the movie. After seeing it, though, I can recommend this film to any fan of baseball, even if you hate the Cubs. My dad, for instance, went to the show with me. He's a Cardinals fan, but when it was over he couldn't stop talking about it.
This Old Cub has just been released on DVD, and is available at thisoldcub.com. I picked up a copy at the screening, and I thought I'd throw out a brief review, since I haven't seen any mention of the film on the forums.
As I said, I think the film itself is excellent. Ron Santo's story is a fascinating one. Coming up to the big leagues in 1960, Santo played for the Cubs until 1973. A frequent All-Star third baseman, he played his whole career while secretly dealing with Juvenile Diabetes. The film switches between historical footage of Santo in his prime, and video footage of Santo now. He is currently a radio broadcaster for the Cubs, and due to his diabetes, has had to have both of his legs amputated. The way he has dealt with the disease and what it's done to him physically is truly inspiring. This movie is in no way a downer.
The DVD presentation is much better than I had expected for a low-budget independent release. The film is presented in it's OAR, 16X9 enhanced, DD 5.1, and looks and sounds quite good. Much of the footage was shot on video, so don't expect demo material, but the old films and photos look fantastic, and the soundtrack features a lot of great music that makes use of the surround setup.
Extras are included, although I admit I haven't watched them yet. I believe they consist primarily of additional interview footage not used in the film.
If your team is no longer in the hunt this year, but you just don't want to let baseball go yet, I definitely recommend giving this disc a try. A portion of the proceeds from the DVD sales are going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, so you're doing a good deed as well.
And, yes, I'm sure we're going all the way next year.
As a lifelong Cubs fan, I knew I would enjoy the movie. After seeing it, though, I can recommend this film to any fan of baseball, even if you hate the Cubs. My dad, for instance, went to the show with me. He's a Cardinals fan, but when it was over he couldn't stop talking about it.
This Old Cub has just been released on DVD, and is available at thisoldcub.com. I picked up a copy at the screening, and I thought I'd throw out a brief review, since I haven't seen any mention of the film on the forums.
As I said, I think the film itself is excellent. Ron Santo's story is a fascinating one. Coming up to the big leagues in 1960, Santo played for the Cubs until 1973. A frequent All-Star third baseman, he played his whole career while secretly dealing with Juvenile Diabetes. The film switches between historical footage of Santo in his prime, and video footage of Santo now. He is currently a radio broadcaster for the Cubs, and due to his diabetes, has had to have both of his legs amputated. The way he has dealt with the disease and what it's done to him physically is truly inspiring. This movie is in no way a downer.
The DVD presentation is much better than I had expected for a low-budget independent release. The film is presented in it's OAR, 16X9 enhanced, DD 5.1, and looks and sounds quite good. Much of the footage was shot on video, so don't expect demo material, but the old films and photos look fantastic, and the soundtrack features a lot of great music that makes use of the surround setup.
Extras are included, although I admit I haven't watched them yet. I believe they consist primarily of additional interview footage not used in the film.
If your team is no longer in the hunt this year, but you just don't want to let baseball go yet, I definitely recommend giving this disc a try. A portion of the proceeds from the DVD sales are going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, so you're doing a good deed as well.
And, yes, I'm sure we're going all the way next year.
