The Ballhawks Movie Release is April 20!

Ballhawks Trailer 2012 from Mike Diedrich on Vimeo.

Here's the new trailer Dear Husband cut for Ballhawks, a nine year labor of love from director Mike Diedrich. Just watch. You'll get chills. It's a film about heart and patience and faith and enduring love. It's funny and moving and thrilling. If you're a Cubs fan, you'll love it. And here's the thing -- if you're not a fan, you still get a kick out of the motley crew of unforgettable characters who wait outside Wrigley Field for the stray fly balls that come over the wall. There's insightful and hilarious commentary by other Chicago favorites, too: Bill Murray, NBC features correspondent Mike Leonard and the legendary Ron Santo.

Now for those of you who missed the showings at the Gene Siskel Center last year, here's the release you've been waiting for! Ballhawks comes out on Youtube on April 20. Yes, Youtube has movies. (Who knew?) Check it out this Friday! And tell your favorite Cubs fans -- they'll thank you.

http://www.youtube.com/movies

Ballhawks

Ballhawks, the riveting new feature length documentary shot and directed by Mike Diedrich and edited by my dear husband, Randy Palmer, has its North American premiere at the Athens Film Festival this week.

The Chicago premiere will take place Memorial Day weekend at the Gene Siskel Film Center downtown. Mike and Randy and several of the Ballhawks will be at the 8:00 Friday night screening. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or at the Siskel Center box office. You can become a fan of Ballhawks on Facebook, where you'll find more info and some pretty funny outtakes. The trailer is here. (A tip: turn the HD off if the video is slow.)

Here is the description of the film from the Siskel Center site: "You've got to be crazy to be a Cubs fan, and a little bit crazier to be a Ballhawk--one of the glove-wearing true believers who faithfully patrol the streets just beyond Wrigley Field's hallowed ivy-covered walls in the hope of catching an out-of-the-park clout, preferably on the fly. Mike Diedrich's documentary takes an affectionate, amusing, and at times poignant look at this only-in-Chicago obsession and the singular personalities who pursue it: undisputed king Moe Mullins (with over 4,000 lifetime catches), exuberant "rookie" George Field, controversial maverick Super Dave Davison, and many more. The film's specialized subject-matter provides a unique, oblique angle that illuminates sports fandom, the special agonies and ecstasies of Cub fandom, and larger issues that verge on the (gulp) downright philosophical. As one of the Ballhawks says, 'It's all about time...holding onto time.'"

Which hints at the humor, heart and depth of this film. "What will you do with the rest of your life?" asks narrator and Cubs uberfan Bill Murray in the film's opening moments. It's a question worth asking and Ballhawks, like the similarly great documentary, Gates of Heaven, makes us reconsider and, almost to our surprise, understand one of the most unusual of answers.

Ballhawks, 74 minutes, directed by Mike Diedrich, narrated by Bill Murray. Randy Palmer, editor.

Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street, Chicago. (312) 846-2800.

Screenings Friday, May 28, 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 29, 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 30, 5:30 p.m.

They Got Christianated, Then We Took a Swim and Watched a Movie

My latest post on Chicago Moms Blog, about water and its miracles.

Today, before the back porch baptism, when Pastor Bob was placidly answering our little guests' questions, ("Why do we get sick?" "Why are dinosaurs extinct?") Mia was growing more and more agitated. She wanted to sit on Daddy's lap with Eleanor, she wanted a blanket against the wind, she wanted to swim right this very minute. I think she was growing frightened or confused. Randy tried reasoning to her in a quiet voice, explaining the ceremony in its simplest terms. When she covered her ears and cried, Randy took her and Eleanor inside to the security of our bed. I held the bowl of water while Bob anointed and blessed the Christian family. The little boy and girl beamed.

Their father, one of the nicest guys in the world, has been working on a feature length documentary for a couple of years. Mike asked Randy to cut it and today I got my first look at Ballhawks. The film profiles the guys who hang outside Wrigley Field, trying to catch stray balls that fly outside the park. What a great bunch of characters. The rough cut of the film was funny and exciting and moving and like all the best sports films, it's about so much more than a game. It's about patience, which apparently is catching, because now that I see the actual project that has lately taken up so much of husband's free time (little compared to Mike's work, which included shooting 300 hours of footage), I am delighted and restored. With a little bit of faith, coming soon to a theater near you.