When It Was a Game, The Natural, Bull Durham

Eric Hanauer
Writer, underwater photographer, and retired professor
www.ehanauer.com

Now's the time my Chicago Cubs usually go into early hibernation. So, I depend on DVDs for a baseball fix to survive a long, cold winter. When It Was a Game consists of color home movies shot on the field during the 1930s by the Washington Senators' George Case. The highlight is the 1938 World Series at Wrigley Field with Gehrig and DiMaggio facing Gabby Hartnett and the Cubs.My favorite baseball movie is The Natural , a rare instance of a movie being better than the book. Bernard Malamud's book was a downer but in the film Robert Redford's walk-off home run provides a Hollywood ending that motivates true baseball fans to remain in their seats until the final out.

Most movie actors playing ballplayers hit and throw like retarded tee-ballers. Kevin Costner is a happy exception as Crash Davis in the brilliantly written Bull Durham, which helps make the long wait for opening day more bearable.

When It Was a Game
(USA) 1991, HBO

The Natural
(USA) 1984, Sony Pictures

Bull Durham (20th Anniversary Edition)
(USA) 1998, MGM

Karen Straus
Bird photographer, writer, and managing editor of the San Diego Audubon Society newsletter
www.birdbrained.biz

After a day of birding during fall migration, I like to curl up in my nest and watch bird DVDs. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill stars a rambunctious flock of urban parrots in San Francisco. The documentary features bird whisperer Mark Bittner, who befriends the flock. A romantic surprise ending makes my heart flutter. DVD features include flock updates and a parrot music video. March of the Penguins makes me appreciate the dedication and stamina it takes to be a penguin parent. Breathtaking photography captures the harsh yet beautiful polar landscape. The DVD feature Of Penguins and Men documents challenges faced by the film crew.

In Winged Migration, film crews follow bird migrations through more than 40 countries, using airplanes, balloons, gliders, and helicopters to fly with their subjects. DVD features include incredible "making of" scenes showing how select birds were imprinted and trained for flying scenes.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
(USA) 2003, Docurama

March of the Penguins (Widescreen Edition)
(France) 2005, Warners

Winged Migration
(France) 2001, Sony Pictures

Mary Lynn Price
Video journalist, underwater videographer, and high-definition video podcaster
www.DiveFilm.com

As the holidays approach, I enjoy DVDs featuring ice, snow, and exploring Antarctica. Shackleton stars the dashing Kenneth Branagh as the great explorer Ernest Shackleton. He failed to cross the Antarctic continent as planned in 1914, but succeeded in bringing all his men home despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Beautifully produced, the collector's edition includes bonus videos and special features about the history of Antarctic exploration.Narrated by Liam Neeson, The Endurance documents Shackleton's 1914-1916 Antarctic expedition. This epic is told using the actual still and film images taken by the ship's photographer, Frank Hurley. Hurley's historic images and film bring the expedition to life across nearly a century of time.

The final DVD takes us Under Antarctic Ice with the current-day underwater explorations of diving cinematographer Norbert Wu. The images are astonishing with underwater visibility up to 800 feet, and fascinating views of cold-water creatures.

Shackleton - The Greatest Survival Story of All Time (3-Disc Collector's Edition)
(England) 2002, A&E

The Endurance - Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
(Sweden/England/USA) 2000, Sony Pictures

Under Antarctic Ice Dvd! Nature Library
(USA) 2003, PBS