Running Brave (1983)

Last year I ran my first marathon, afterwords I started looking for some good books or magazines specifically on Marathon Running. It is amazing how many are for running your first or running in general. Not many are geared toward multiple marathons.

Anyways, I found one called "Marathon & Beyond," a bi-monthly publication with feature stories about great marathon runners and organizers. I was reading a story about Billy Mills, an American Indian runner who is the only American to ever win the Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters in the Olympics. Only three American have ever won the Marathon in the Olympics, and Mills 9th place finish in the Marathon just days after winning the Gold stands as the highest spot an American born athlete has finish in the Marathon.

So Mills is currently the spokesperson for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, and in the interview I was reading he mentioned this film. I thought I should try and find it and watch it quickly before I forgot about it. I was not thrilled with a few things, and I'll get to them. First off the cast is mainly Robby Benson [Mills], Pat Hingle his coach [Commissioner James Gordon from the late 80's Batman series], Jeff McCracken [his roommate], and Graham Greene [his brother Eddie from the reservation]. Greene is the most familiar face in the film, and has been the American Indian in a number of great films.

So the film starts with him running a high school race, demolishing the competition in front of College scouts, much like the opening of Prefontaine. We then spend the majority of the film at his career at the University of Kansas. I didn't really like that the focus was on him being a Native American and dealing with racism. The director seemed to lack direction on if this was going to be a Lifetime type movie about persecution, or a film about running for runners. The film ends with his Olympic race, a scene I would have liked to see repeated more with some memorable college races, but a good scene nonetheless.

An interesting thing about the interview I read was talking about his achievements as a marathon runner, a portion of his career completely ignored in the film, and one that he admitted that he was embarrassed about. At the time he thought 9th place was a huge failure, and didn't even mention the event once, including the Olympic Trials. It is only now, almost 30 years after this film was made, and 50 years after the race itself that he is able to see how good 9th place really was.

There should be more movies about runners, and less about boxers!


Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086220/

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The Fighter (2010)

The sports movie of the Oscar ballot, this film is another boxing movie. A sport that seems to become less popular year after year, yet continues to entice Hollywood again and again. Will UFC fighters be our heros of Hollywood films in 20 years? This film has a pretty nice cast with Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo.I'm a big fan of Leo after watching Frozen River last year, and her performance was so much different in this one, yet just as incredible.

The film is full of arguments. I wasn't sure if this was Jersey at first because of the Northeastern accents and dialog that reminded me of "Jersey Shore". so it is hard for me to like good acting in an environment that I'd rather not encounter. That being said Bale, Adams, and Leo were fantastic in their performances and all deserve the nominations they have been getting. I'm not shocked that Wahlberg didn't get any nominations because for a leading role the script didn't ask much of him.

If there were only five Best Picture nominees this one would not have been nominated. Good acting, but not the best overall movie. Might be your cup of tea, and better than most movies I encounter outside of awards season.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964517/

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The Karate Kid (2010)

Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) in his 3rd feature film, and first starring role. This remake of the 1984 original The Karate Kid starring Ralph Macchio. Is produced by father, Will, and takes place in China.

There are a few things that make this as good as the original, and a few things that do not measure up. Jackie Chan was fantastic in his role as Mr. Han (the new Mr. Miyagi). "Miyagi" is much cooler than "Han" though. The idea of a kid proving himself at a Karate tournament in China was a fun spin.

There were two things that kept me from making this is a "worth watching" film. #1: I didn't like the age of Jaden Smith. They should have kept this film idea in their back pocket until he was at least a teenager. The early high school age in the original was much more fitting. I just wondered, where are their parents during all this? when the kids got in street fights. #2: I didn't like the unrealistic fighting combos. Why use CGI and stunts that look completely fake? He could have excelled with realistic fighting like the original film.

I did like that he learned about Karate through every day activity. They didn't copy "Wax-on, Wax-off" which was probably a good move. Yet they stayed with the same general training theme, which make the film a lot of fun. It is 50/50 that you will like this one. I'd give it a PG rating, so it would be a good family watch, so that is a plus.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155076/

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"Baseball" (1994)

It is not easy to express what a commitment it is to watch this film. A mini-series by Ken Burns of the complete history of baseball. By complete I mean 9 films [innings] around two hours each for a total of about 19 hours of film.

As you can imagine, while watching this lengthy film I pondered how on earth I was going to write a single simple review on so very much. So let's keep focused on if and why this is worth watching, and let's break it into three parts:

The first three films:
Our Game, Something Like a War, and The Faith of Fifty Million People delve into origins of the sport, the establishment of the rules, and the development of leagues. They are easily the most difficult ones to get through. Spanning from the mid-1800's to 1919 there are few players from this period that are widely recognized. It isn't until the third part that Babe Ruth is mentioned, and he fills much more in the 4th episode. The most memorable part for me (since he has been over a month since I actually watched the first three) was about Ty Cobb. He is painted in a very negative light and as the root of all that is wrong in baseball. A man that carries around lynching rope and opening opposed African-Americans in the National League. These were just average on their own.

The middle three films:
A National Heirloom, Shadow Ball, and The National Pastime are really the meat of this documentary. They contain the most emotional stories with Lou Gerrig in Episode 4 then Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Jackie Robinson in Episode 6. Episode 5 lags and [in my opinion] strays from the history of the sport a little when they spend a very significant amount of time on politics and race. The Lou Gerrig portion was the most emotional for me, and Robinson's story is the most inspiring. Maybe some day I can convince my daughter to do a report on Jackie. There is also a lot about Babe Ruth spread across these three episodes, with a lot of interesting material. On its own Episodes 4 and 6 would get 9/10.

The last three films:
The Capital of Baseball, A Whole New Ball Game, and Home really go into depth on historic games. Starting in the 1950s and barely touching on the 80s and 90s this is the most East Coast bias portion of the series. You have to understand that baseball was only on the east coast for the majority of the first 5 or 6 films so this was really a chance to branch out and talk about the development of new teams, their survival, and acceptance nationally. Instead it was highly focused on New York and Boston teams. Which is fine, they did win a lot, and a lot of action was here. But it also contradicts itself when it focuses on the Mets and Dodgers in periods when they were awful rather than talk about the Cardinals, Reds, Twins, etc. at all. On its own these were just average also.

As a Rangers fan I was disappointed to hear next to nothing about my team. Sure they have only been around since the 70s and the two mentions were our owner Nolan Ryan, and the team moving from Washington, D.C. But it would have been nice to see something about a team from my area. Nothing on the Astros other than them building a dome. Nothing on Kansas City with the exception of the Black team a long long time ago.

I was also disappointed that they mentioned the minor leagues, e.g. the farm system. But they didn't spend any time on where these teams are. Which ones have been around for a long time. Which ones have tremendous support from their locals. They didn't talk about the draft or the inception of a professional draft. They didn't talk about the college game, or the College World Series. Nothing about the Little League World Series [something that might not have been around in 1994... I don't know], although they did have an "extra innings" portion at the end that talked about community leagues. Basically the scope of this film could have been wider given the run time. For 19 hours I wanted some of this stuff touched on.

If you love baseball watch this. Check your local listing for air times on PBS, MLB Network, check your library, or Netflix. I am amazed at how many people I've talked to have actually seen this mini-series. Overall I'm very glad I watched it.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108700/

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National Velvet (1944)

A film starring Elizabeth Taylor when she was just 12 years old. Based in England this film is about a girl who has a love for horses and through chance wins a horse who has the potential of winning the Grand National. Mickey Rooney plays a former jockey who helps her train the horse, that's right the now 90 year old Rooney can be seen in this film at the age of 24!

This film was selected as a top 10 American Sports film by the American Film Institute and the part that made me really enjoy this film was the mother. Played by Anne Revere, who was in A Place in the Sun in 1951 but I don't remember her from that film. She is a former swimmer, the first lady to swim across the English Channel, and her support for her daughter is touching. But the thing that really got me was the speech when she told her to shoot for her dreams, a part about recognizing when your time for greatness has come, and also understanding when it is over and time to move on. Moving on can be hard and is something a lot of people, including myself, have trouble doing.

Not a bad film, the banter around the dinner table with the family dog reminded me this is still a kids movie. Another not-in-America-but-still-an-American-Film entry on the AFI list, which I'm not a fan of. Good nonetheless.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037120/

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The Express (2008)

Winner of the ESPY Award for Best Sports Film, I watched this movie to finish the list of ESPY Winners. Ironic that the other ESPY winner I just watched was also starring Dennis Quaid. This sports film is about the first African American Heisman Trophy winner, a football player from Syracuse University named Ernie Davis. Rob Brown plays Davis, and Quaid plays the Syracuse Football Coach. You might be familiar with Brown from Finding Forrester, Coach Carter, and Stop-Loss, all above average films.

The film as you would expect deals with racism in terms of fans, students, and fellow players. I didn't feel like they made this the focal point, sure the whole film was about breaking racial boundaries, but Davis was not the first Black running back for Syracuse. Instead the film focuses on how he handles the racial situations, the steps of recruiting the coach goes through, and a good balance of football.

The movie just had a really good flow. It kept me interested, I didn't check the time to see how much I had left more than once or twice [something I tend to do frequently], and the acting was really good. The football scenes were well rehearsed and filmed and the game play didn't seem fake (probably why it won the ESPY).

Enjoyable sports movie.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469903/

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The Rookie (2002)

Does anyone else think that Dennis Quaid is a B grade Harrison Ford? I get the two confused all the time. Quaid seems to favor kids movies though, and this one is just that.

A film about a guy that missed his chance at the majors and ends up a high school baseball coach in the middle of nowhere. He makes a deal with this team that if they win the conference he will try out for a pro team again. With three kids and an opportunity at a new job he has to make the decision if he wants to give it one more shot.

I really liked this movie, but it got way too cheesy and over emotional. At almost two hours and fifteen minutes at least 20 minutes of bs at the end could have been cut out. This film is however appropriate for all ages... if they can make it though the whole movie.

My favorite part of the movie is a spoiler... so don't read this paragraph if you really think a kids movie like this can be ruined. He gets to pitch in the majors at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. This was especially cool for me because I've been to this ballpark at least 25 times over the last 5 years. Being a Rangers fan I love to see them beat up on a team in a movie, and seeing the locker rooms and bullpen on film was really cool. Might be worth a watch, depends on if you like this type of movie.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265662/

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The Endless Summer (1966)

This documentary film is about two surfers and their friend [the narrator, writer, and director] who take a trip around the world following the summer season. They start in California, head to Africa, around to Cape, to Australia, then finally to Hawaii.

It is a really fun story; encountering natives in Ghana, surfers in South Africa, wildlife across Australia, and beautiful beaches in Hawaii. It brilliantly captures a lifestyle and time in American history which I feel has been dead for a while.

The problem I have is that I wanted more story and less surfing. It is in essence a surfing film, and documents their travels, and there is a lot of surfing in the film. I like watching surfing and all, but it had some lull points. The overall film is pretty short and I don't see many surfing point they could have cut, mainly because it showcased all the different beaches they visited.

Worth a watch but not a repeat viewing, which drops it to a 7 instead of an 8.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060371/

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Sugar (2009)

The American Film Institute picked this film as part of its top 10 from 2009 and ESPN nominated it for the ESPY for Best Sports Film of the Year. It lost to The Express a film I intend to watch later this year, but fully expect this only lost because no one knew much about it.

It strikes me as odd that this was selected as an American film, the majority of the film is in Spanish. This is a technical issue though, the majority of the run time was in Spanish, but the majority of the dialogue was in English.

So the film is about a young man in a Dominican Republic training camp where MLB scouts look for young talent to bring to the States. The camp teaches them discipline, fundamentals, and baseball terms in English. So several boys are called up to the Kansas City training camp in Phoenix, after the training camp our main character is called up to single "A" ball. As a young pitcher in the middle of nowhere Iowa with very limited English and far from home he struggles to get along with the coaching staff and the family he is staying with.

I was very surprised at how good this film was, there are no star characters, and the film is not exactly quickly paced. Nonetheless, it is a film worth watching, then again I like a good sports film.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0990413/

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Fat City (1972)

This film is about the lives of two boxers at different points in their lives and the decisions they make. Stacy Keach plays Tully [I can only see the dad from the tv show "Titus" when I see him], a washed out boxer past his prime who has a drinking problem and constantly talks about how he is going to get back in the ring soon. Jeff Bridges plays Ernie, a kid fresh out of high school just getting into boxing with a little push from Tully.

There are no hero moments in this film, Tully is what he is, he is able to get in the ring again but it isn't anything special. Ernie has some minor success but we're not winning any championships with this film. More of a slice of life, and nothing compared to the films Raging Bull and Rocky, which both came out after this one.

Unless you are a big Bridges fan or just really like boxing movies then skip this one.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068575/

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The Freshman (1925)

Harold Lloyd plays "The Freshman," a nerdy kid who just wants to be popular at college. Lloyd is one of the lesser known comedians from the early ages of cinema. He has a famous scene when he is hanging from a clock in Safety Last!. This is probably his only other well known film.

Lloyd does everything he can to become a football star and win friends at school. The antics ensue as he addresses the school, hosts a party, and joins the football team.

A well paced silent film.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015841/

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Invictus (2009)

I need to be clear from the start, this is a sports movie, not a Biography of Nelson Mandela. If you happen to be someone that knows very little about South Africa you will learn something from this film other than their rugby team.

So the film's focus is on a time frame where Nelson Mandela played by Morgan Freeman has just taken office as the president of South Africa. There is a lot of fear in the Caucasian community that things are about to change for the worst and Mandela has to keep the power balanced. For example he will not dissolve the rugby team and will instead keep the captain, Francois Pienaar played by Matt Damon, in charge and instead support them fully.

This was a very fun sports movie. It does not have overly emotional scenes, and Damon and Freeman are both excellent. Clint Eastwood once again shows that he is a great director, but unlike Million Dollar Baby which is more of a Drama than a sports movie... this is a sports movie. Don't going into it looking for more and you will enjoy it.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1057500/

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The Blind Side (2009)

This is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a current player for the Baltimore Ravens and former college All-American. Michael had a very difficult life growing up and this heartwarming [and tear-jerking] story is about how he came to love football and find a family. This is all I am going to tell you about the plot, JUST GO SEE IT.

There were some great performances in this film, starting with Quinton Aaron, who played Michael, Sandra Bullock playing Mrs. Tuohy, and believe it or not, Tim McGraw as Mr. Tuohy. Bullock's success this year has been widely spoken of, but McGraw has now shown he can act. With Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, and Four Christmases already under his belt, this film is his best yet.

It was interesting to me to read that Mr. Oher is not a fan of this film, he was unhappy about them blowing some things out of proportion and I don't think he wants the attention he has been getting. This is a testament to me believing Quinton did a great job in his role as a humble, honest man.

One of the best films this year, it is not just a sports movie, it is much much more.

Vote: 10/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/

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