As of this date, the annual Tour de France is still scheduled to take place.
In April the organizers of the Tour de France decided to postpone the Tour de France to Saturday August 29th to Sunday September 20th 2020.
Initially scheduled to take place from the 27th June to the 19th July, the Tour de France will follow the same route, with no changes, from Nice to Paris.
In 2015, director Stephen Frears and actor Ben Foster (below), brought to the screen THE PROGRAM. Inspired by the award winning book ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ by David Walsh, where Sunday Times journalist, David Walsh, at first charmed by Lance’s charisma and talent, soon began to question whether the ‘world’s greatest athlete’ was ‘clean’. Walsh sought to unveil the truth, his ensuing battle with Armstrong risked his own career, ostracized him from the cycling community and cost his paper, The Sunday Times, hundreds of thousands in legal costs. But the indefatigable Walsh eventually uncovered the truth when a select few prepared to talk came forward, exposing one of the greatest deceptions of our time. (trailer, featurette)
While we wait, hopefully, for the premiere cycling event, ESPN is airing a two-part documentary on cyclist Lance Armstrong.
From acclaimed director Marina Zenovich, LANCE is a fascinating, revealing, comprehensive, chronicle of one of the most inspirational – and then infamous – athletes of all time.
Based around extensive interviews and conversations with Lance Armstrong, the two-part, four-hour film tells the story of the cyclist’s rise out of Texas as a young superstar; his harrowing battle with testicular cancer; his recovery and emergence as a global icon with his seven consecutive Tour de France titles; and then his massive fall after he was exposed in one of the largest doping scandals in history.
Armstrong, along with a collection of family, teammates, friends, rivals, and journalists, all reflect on his story, creating a fascinating character study, capturing a unique chapter of sports history, and insisting the audience make its own interpretations about the many different sides of a complex saga.
Check out this preview now. LANCE premieres May 24, 9 p.m. et on ESPN. Part 2 on May 31, 9 p.m. et.
Marina Zenovich is an award-winning filmmaker whose films have been praised for their thoughtful approach to complex subjects and controversial people. Her films include ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MIND (2018), WATER & POWER: A CALIFORNIA HEIST (2017), FANTASTIC LIES (2016), RICHARD PRYOR: OMIT THE LOGIC (2013), ROMAN POLANSKI: ODD MAN OUT (2012), and ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED (2008; Emmys for Directing and Writing, shared with Joe Bini and P.G. Morgan)
March 30, 1970. Racing champion Secretariat was born.
After Citation in 1948, Secretariat became the first U.S. Triple Crown winner in 25 years and became the stuff of legend.
New York Post columnist Larry Merchant said:
“Secretariat is the kind of Big Horse that makes grown men weep, even when they are flint-hearted bettors, even when he goes off at 1-10. He is the apparently unflawed hunk of beauty and beast they search for doggedly in the racing charts every day, and never seemed to find. His supporters rhapsodize over him as though he is a four-legged Nureyev, extolling virtues of his musculature, his grace, his urine specimens.” If he were to lose the Belmont, Merchant warned, “the country may turn sullen and mutinous.”
As of 2015, only 12 horses have won the Triple Crown: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), and American Pharoah (2015).
Just as with Secretariat, the next potential Triple Crown winner will begin its race into history with the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 2016.
To celebrate Big Red’s birthday, here’s a look at some of the best films about our four-legged friends.
Decades after his death, Phar Lap remains Australia’s most famous racehorse: an ungainly chestnut gelding whose great stamina helped him win 37 of his 51 races between 1929 and 1932. Phar Lap was born in New Zealand and purchased for the bargain price of 160 pounds by trainer Harry Telford and American owner David Davis in 1927. The horse repaid them by winning over 66,000 pounds in purse money during his career. Phar Lap was the favorite in the prestigious Melbourne Cup race three times, winning in 1930 and becoming a national hero in the process. After the 1931 Cup he was shipped to America to face new competition for bigger stakes. He won his first race, at Agua Calienti in Mexico, but never raced again: in April of 1932 he died suddenly at a ranch in California.
SECRETARIAT
Based on the remarkable true story, the movie chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) agrees to take over her ailing father’s Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery – with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) – manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and the greatest racehorse of all time.
BLACK BEAUTY
In 1993, Variety said “Although already filmed three times in the sound era, Black Beauty has never been put onscreen faithfully or well, a situation partially remedied by this affecting, rather grave rendition of the children’s perennial. Debuting director Caroline Thompson, who penned The Secret Garden, has brought considerable feeling and care to this story of a fine horse’s often difficult life in Victorian England.”
The film is seen through the eyes of the horse – through good times and ill, trusted friends and callous enemies and disasters both natural and man-made.
When young Alec (Kelly Reno) and a majestic Arabian stallion, “Black,” are swept onto a desolate island after a fierce storm sinks their ship, the two form a remarkable friendship. Eventually rescued, Alec teams with a horse trainer (Mickey Rooney) who prepares him – and Black – for the race of the century in this incomparably moving film that also features Teri Garr.
NATIONAL VELVET
Starring Angela Lansbury, Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, and a young Elizabeth Taylor, NATIONAL VELVET, the story of a British farm girl who fights to train a difficult horse for the Grand National Steeplechase, had its World premiere in New York City on Dec. 14, 1944.
In 2003, National Velvet was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film won two Oscars – Anne Revere (Best Supporting Actress) and Robert J. Kern (Best Film Editing). Newsweek’s critic raved that the racing scene was among the most memorable in film history.
SEABISCUIT
Based on a true story, this film tells the story of an underdog racehorse who, through the friendship and devotion of his jockey, owner and trainer, beats the odds and gives hope to millions of Americans during the Great Depression. Written and directed by filmmaker Gary Ross, this movie stars Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges and is based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. The film received seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture.
HIDALGO
A swarm of locusts so massive it obliterates the relentless sun. Deadly traps that defy imagination. These are just a few of the astonishing obstacles Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen), the greatest long-distance racer ever, faces in the rousing action-adventure HIDALGO. Based on a true story, Hopkins and his mustang Hidalgo enter the ultimate extreme sport of its time — the Ocean Of Fire. Underdogs challenging the finest Arabian horses and riders, they must not only survive the grueling race across 3,000 miles of the Arabian Desert’s punishing terrain, but they must thwart the evil plots of competitors who vow victory at all costs
50 TO 1
A misfit group of New Mexico cowboys find themselves on a journey of a lifetime when their crooked-footed racehorse qualifies for the Kentucky Derby. Based on the inspiring true story of Mine That Bird, the cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world’s racing elite. Starred Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane and William Devane,
DREAMER
DREAMER was based on the story of Mariah’s Storm, a filly who broke a leg during a race in 1993, but a year later came back to win the Arlington Heights Oaks, and in 1995 won the Turfway Breeder’s Cup. The film starred Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning.
SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON
Spirit, a young mustang (Matt Damon), sets out on across the majestic wilderness to regain his freedom and save his homeland. Along the way, he forms a friendship with a young Lakota brave, outwits a squadron of soldiers, and ultimately, finds love. With original music written and sung by Bryan Adams.
Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson
Over the years we’ve seen several inspirational sports biography films. Certain sports seem to lend themselves to the cinema, like boxing with RAGING BULL and ALI, or baseball in THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES and THE ROOKIE. But surfing’s a more difficult to convey on-screen. Many folks may harken back to the crude rear-projection sequences in camp 1960’s flicks like GIDGET, BEACH PARTY and their sequels. With documentaries like the first ENDLESS SUMMER, new film technology allowed for an up close look at the surf pros. CHASING MAVERICKS is the dramatic life story of one of those pros: Jay Moriarty. In a way this is similar to a superhero story. Instead of getting a uniform and shield, we see how Jay got his wetsuit and board. It also has an element of the wise elder training the young upstart. Think Mr.Miyagi in THE KARATE KID films and the various Jedi masters in the STAR WARS series. Perhaps, more than the other genres, MAVERICKS is a true family film with sons discovering fathers in the unlikeliest of settings (and vice-versa).
We first meet Moriarty timing the waves as they break on shore in 1987. While rescuing the pooch of his slightly older pretty neighbor Kim, the eight year-old lad is swept up by the current. Before the sea claims him lil’ Jay is pulled up by super surfer dude “Frosty” Hesson (Gerard Butler). Driving the kids back home, Jay is stunned to find out that his rescuer lives right down the street. Soon the boy is pulling out his father’s old surfboard out of the garage (Dad has been absent for a while) and hitting the beach. Cut to 1994 as teenage Jay (Jonny Weston) secretly hitches a ride on top of Frosty’s van and observes the surfer pro and some pals going to a secluded section of beach that is home of the “mavericks” (giant, monster waves). After he’s discovered, Jay begs Frosty to teach him out to ride the mavericks. The elder surfer begrudgingly agrees and for the next several months Jay balances his school work, pizza job, keeping his boozy Mom (Elisabeth Shue) focused on her job, and pursuing the lovely grown-up Kim (Leven Rambin) with his passion for training in order to tame those truly killer waves.
This is a sweet little underdog tale accented with some truly spectacular photography of these athletes. We get all angles (including underwater), and these thirty and forty-foot swells looming over the surfers are really breath-taking. The film makers do their best to help us focus in on the principals (it’s a big problem with all the similar boards and wetsuits). On land some of the subplots don’t quite play off and disrupt the momentum of the main surf-training story. The romance of Jay and Kim seems to be a given with some minor obstacles (she doesn’t want her pals to know that she likes this guy that’s a couple years younger!). And the concerns about Jay’s pal Blond hooking up with a bad crowd (he may be dealing drugs!) never has a real resolution. When a major tragedy blindsides a character it seems like it was thrown at the script from left field (perhaps this is what happened, true life being very untidy). As for the cast, Butler has toned down the aggression so prominent in the dismal rom-coms and gives us a hunky, often mellow surfin’ Yoda. His Frosty is a mentally absent father whose paternal nature is finally opened up by his young student. On the other end is Shue’s character who also is put on the right course by her son’s determination. It’s always a pleasure to see this veteran actress again on screen, but the role is somewhat underwritten. We never really get to see her pushing away from the bottle. Weston is a likeable, if somewhat bland (perhaps, the way his role is written) hero. The script may be too respectful of this real life surfing icon. He’s more of a noble ideal than a true human being complete with flaws and frailties. CHASING MAVERICKS is a well shot profile of the sport and one of its heroes, but the people are not nearly has compelling as the images of those brutal, but beautiful waves.
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.” – FIELD OF DREAMS.
No truer words were ever spoken about America’s Pastime. Baseball began this past Spring with 30 teams vying for the chance to become World Champions and now it’s been decided. The San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers will play ball in the 2012 World Series. Before the final hurrah of nine innings, stats, bases and 3 strikes you’re out, WAMG has compiled a list of the Best Baseball Movies. Did we leave any in the dugout or are there some that should be sent to the showers? The Fall Classic begins Wednesday, October 24. See ya at the old ball game!
THE NATURAL
Adapted from the 1952 novel by Bernard Malamud, THE NATURAL tells the story of Roy Hobbs, a fictional baseball prodigy who rises from nowhere, only to have his career nearly cut short when a woman shoots him down. The story is rumored to based loosely on real-life baseball players Eddie Waitkus or Billy Jurges, but this has never been confirmed. The 1984 film, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford as the talented ballplayer, with Robert Duvall and Glenn Close, was nominated for a Golden Globe and four Academy Awards.
BULL DURHAM
Based on the experience of writer/director Ron Shelton, this 1988 film focuses on the antics and comedic drama between the team’s veteran catcher “Crash” Davis (Kevin Costner), the wild rookie pitcher “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) and the sultry baseball groupie/guru Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon). The film was a commercial success, a hit with critics and ranks in the top 100 of both Bravo’s and the AFI’s best comedies, also ranking #1 as the greatest sports movie of all time by Sports Illustrated.
EIGHT MEN OUT
Adapted from Eliot Asinof’s 1963 book, this 1988 film is written and directed by John Sayles and features a lineup of stars including John Cusack, Cliffton James, Christopher Lloyd, Charlie Sheen, David Strathairn, D.B. Sweeney and Michael Rooker. EIGHT MEN OUT is a dramatized account of the scandal brought on by the Chicago White Sox who took bribes from the mob to throw the 1919 World Series. The film carefully details what led to the infamous Black Sox scandal and who was involved.
THE PRIDE OF ST. LOUIS
In 1952 Dan Dailey starred in THE PRIDE OF ST. LOUIS, the story of Jerome “Dizzy” Dean, a major-league baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs in the 1930s and 1940s. Dailey, usually seen in Hollywood musicals, made Dean, a backwoods hillbilly, into a cheerily sympathetic figure, A fine baseball film and a real tribute to an American success story.
THE BAD NEWS BEARS
After skewering all-American subjects such as politics (THE CANDIDATE) and beauty pageants (SMILE), director Michael Ritchie naturally set his sights on the national pastime for this classic about the nastiest, most incompetent, foul-mouthed little leaguers ever. Who better to motivate them to victory than boozy Morris Buttermaker (AKA “Coach Boilermaker”) played to surly perfection by Walter Matthau. But he’s got a ringer in diamond diva Tatum O’Neal (fresh off her Oscar win for PAPER MOON). The flick was such a hit it inspired two quick sequels (THE BAD NEWS BEARS IN BREAKING TRAINING and THE BAD NEWS BEARS GO TO JAPAN coached by William Devane and Tony Curtis!), a short-lived TV sitcom starring Jack Warden, and a 2005 remake with Billy Bob Thorton. Look for “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” TV star Brandon Cruz as an opposing player in the crucial final game.. Hard to believe, but the flick delivers nearly as many laughs as the poster from Mad Magazine artist extraordinaire Jack Davis!
THE ROOKIE
One of the best baseball bio-pics to come along over the years, The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid, tells the true story of Jim Morris, a man who finally gets a shot at his lifelong dream-pitching in the big leagues. A high school science teacher/baseball coach, Morris’ players make a bet with him:if they win district, he tries out for the majors. This family feel-good movie has heart and a great cast, including Rachel Griffiths and a young Angus T. Jones of Two and Half Men fame.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
When the armed forces snatch up all the able-bodied baseball players to serve in World war II, what are the team owners gonna’ do? Why, send in the ladies! This inspiring feminist story (based on true events) was a big surprise box office smash back in 1992. It reunited director Penny Marshall with her BIG star Tom Hanks who plays boozy ex-Cubbie Jimmy Dugan, the coach of the Rockford Peaches whose roster includes competing sisters (Geena Davis and Lori Petty) alongside team mates played by comedienne Rosie O’Donnell and pop queen Madonna. Look for scene stealing turns by SNL vet Jon Lovitz as a wise guy recruiter and Penny’s big brother Gary as Cubs owner Walter Harvey. Be sure and stick around for the end credits which features footage of many real players from the era. There’s lots of laughs and more than a few heart-tugging moments. But remember the words of Coach Dugan, “There’s no crying in baseball!!”.
THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY
This 1950 biography of Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player in the 20th century, is one of the best and most convincing baseball biopics ever filmed. Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson plays himself and Ruby Dee as his wife Rae in THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY. Dee would later play Robinson’s mother in the 1990 TV movie The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson. In April 2013, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures are teaming up with director Brian Helgeland for 42, the powerful story of Jackie Robinson, the legendary baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he joined the roster of the Brooklyn Dodgers. 42 will star Academy Award(R) nominee Harrison Ford (“Witness”) as the innovative Dodger’s general manager Branch Rickey, the MLB executive who first signed Robinson to the minors and then helped to bring him up to the show, and Chadwick Boseman (“The Express”) as Robinson, the heroic African American who was the first man to break the color line in the big leagues.
Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, Major League Baseball “universally” retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams; the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored. Since that time, Major League Baseball has adopted a new annual tradition, “Jackie Robinson Day,” in which all players on all teams wear #42.
BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY
Fantastic picture about a Cy Young caliber pitcher, Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty), who befriends a lesser known catcher, Bruce Pearson (Robert DeNiro), who was just diagnosed with cancer prior to the 1972 baseball season. DeNiro and Moriarty have excellent chemistry throughout the movie. The supporting cast is excellent featuring many familiar faces. Vincent Gardenia, Danny Aiello, Selma Diamond (Night Court), Ann Wedgeworth (Three’s Company), and Phil Foster (Laverne and Shirley).You will not be disappointed.
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME
Before this film, Sam Raimi played solely in the realm of genre fare, with horror, a Western, superheroes, and even slapstick. So teaming up with Kevin Costner for a down-to-Earth baseball drama was quite a change in direction for him. This movie features Costner as an aged pitcher whose final day on the mound takes an unexpected turn when it begins to look like he may pitch a perfect game. At the same time, he flashbacks to his relationship with his girlfriend (Kelly Preston), and realizes What Really Matters in Life (TM).
PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
This 1942 classic is mostly known today for the iconic line, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth,” and not much else, and there’s good reason for that. It’s competently done, featuring a pleasant lead performance from Gary Cooper as famous Yankees player Lou Gehrig, whose admirable life and career were tragically cut short by ALS. But it’s also bland and hagiographic, a repetitive cavalcade of “isn’t this just a swell guy” moments, which isn’t just dull – it’s anti-dramatic.
IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING
After winning an Oscar for the dark 1945 drama THE LOST WEEKEND, actor Ray Milland starred as Professor Vernon K. Simpson AKA “King” Kelly in this 1949 sports fantasy comedy. When a baseball (naturally!) crashes through his lab window, an untested pesticide formula becomes a liquid that makes objects repel wood (and this was a dozen years before Disney started the “Flubber” flicks!). This turns the timid prof (Milland resembles George reeves as TV’s Clark Kent) into a pitching wizard, and helps him earn enough money to wed the college dean’s daughter (Jean Peters). Because Major League Baseball did not co-operate with the film makers there’s no official team mascot or ballpark names, so Simpson plays for St. Louis at St. Louis Stadium! The MLB didn’t want to condone cheating since the ball was coated with the formula. Ah, the simpler days! Look for future USS Minnow skipper Alan Hale as college varsity catcher.
MONEYBALL
This 2011 Best Picture nominee from writers Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zallian and director Bennett Miller, stars Brad Pitt as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, who in 2002, attempted to put together a baseball club on a budget to go up against powerhouse clubs like the New York Yankees who had an unlimited budget to buy the best players and win championships, by using a computer-generated analysis to acquire new players. Beane hires Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who evaluates players using the statistical approach. Beane assembles a team of no-names who, on paper, can get on base and score runs. But is this approach enough to take the A’s all the way to the 2002 World Series and turn convention baseball wisdom upside down?
THE FAN
THE FAN (1996) is a great dark satire of baseball. Robert DeNiro plays Gil Bernard an odd knife salesman who loses the visitation rights to be with his son. Bernard vents his rage by following his San Francisco Giants religiously. Gil becomes obsessed with Bobby Rayburn, the Giants’ new top paid center fielder. Rayburn believes in jinxes and wants his lucky jersey number back to end a slump. Gil gets it for him by killing his teammate. Gil confronts Rayburn who says his change of luck was due to his not caring anymore. Gil goes berserk and threatens to kill Rayburn’s son if he doesn’t hit a homer for him. Directed by Tony Scott, the disturbing story concerns a troubled man’s disintegration into insanity with murderous results.
MAJOR LEAGUE
Let’s see… A movie where Charlie Sheen is WINNING?! SCORE! MAJOR LEAGUE is a clever movie from 1989 that really lets the underdogs shine. When the new owner of the Cleveland Indians trys to put together a losing team, they take her by surprise and pull together a winning season. Wild Thing! Wild Thing! Wild Thing!
61*
This 2001 HBO movie was made shortly after the Mark McGuire/Sammy Sosa single-season home-run battle, where both were trying to beat the record set by Roger Maris in 1961. The movie portrayed a similar home run battle between Roger Maris (Barry Pepper) and Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane), who in 1961 were both trying to beat Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs. Maris is the underdog, minimized by sports writers and fans because of his plain-spoken demeanor. Mantle is a fan favorite and league golden boy. The baseball commissioner announces that Ruth’s record stands unless it is broken within 154 games.Any record set after 154 games of the new 162-game schedule will have an asterisk. The film follows the two on and off the field, their friendship, the stresses and frustrations, and Maris’ desire to play well, win, and go home.
TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE
Clint Eastwood provides another variation on his crotchety old man act in freshman director Robert Lorenz’s TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE, a captivating saga about an aging Atlanta Braves baseball scout whose contract is up for renewal. Basically, the movie concerns the generation gap and the difference between the way men conduct business with either first-hand information or second-hand information. It’s sort of a baseball rebuttal to MONEY BALL, pitting Clint against younger guys who prefer to base their scouting decisions strictly on the statistics that they juggle on their laptops. Though predictable, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE has a lot of balls and throws them in a variety of ways. Amy Adams co-stars as Clint’s adult daughter who has spent most of her life away from her single father living with relatives. Part of the conflict occurs between the two have been apart so long that they don’t function together well when they are in each other’s company. One of the best films of 2012 so far.
THE BABE
You don’t have to be a hard-core baseball fan to see that The Babe, starring John Goodman as America’s legendary slugger, turns the life of Babe Ruth into a whitewashing that is genially sweet . Despite a few attempts to present Ruth’s darker side (i.e., women and booze), it tidies up his more disreputable adventures and gives him a heart of gold to boot. The movie understands the rich comedy of Ruth’s appeal, the fact that the grandest athlete of the 20th century was, in one sense, barely an athlete at all. He was, instead, a kind of carnival showman, a big, soft, dumpling-shaped guy who knew how to perform one trick of genius, and who did it over and over again. The fans never got tired of it, and neither did he.
THE SANDLOT
There are some great stories reminiscing about childhood baseball games, but this one is my favorite by far! Scotty Smalls takes us back to the summer of 1962… a summer of friendship, leaning, love and baseball. This movie is the perfect combination of “coming of age” tale and nostalgia. Just don’t hit the ball over the fence, or it will remain the property of The Beast!
COBB
Here’s something different from the usual baseball biopic. COBB concerns one of the sport’s early superstars whose prowess on the field was almost overshadowed by his reputation as a really unpleasant guy. Most of the film is a road trip that Cobb (Tommy Lee Jones) made to Cooperstown New York with sports writer Al Stump (“Arliss” TV star Robert Wuhl) in 1959. Included are flashbacks to Ty’s glory days illustrating many of the legends surrounding him ( sharpening the bottoms of his cleats in order to injure opponents, pulling a heckler out of his wheelchair for a beating during a game). After the high spirits of BULL DURHAM, writer/director Ron Shelton gives us a hard look at the dark side of baseball history.
ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (1994)
Disney remade ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD in 1994, this time using the California Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels) as the team. This updated version has Danny Glover as the feisty manager whose team gets some help from above and 13-year old Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the boy whose wish sets the plot in motion. A heart-warming crowd-pleaser which was a surprise hit in 1994 and spawned two direct-to-video sequels: ANGELS IN THE ENDZONE and ANGELS IN THE INFIELD.
ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (1951)
Speaking about the original, ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (1951) is the one of the best comedies about the sport. It’s the story of baseball manager (Paul Douglas) who loses his temper too much until he hears an angel’s voice (James Whitmore), who makes a deal with him. He and his other angels will help the baseball team win games if the manager stops losing his temper. When the deal is set, the manager’s life changes. The filming locations were old Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, home of the triple A Los Angeles Angels before the Dodgers arrived. Forbes Field in Pittsburg and Yankee Stadium were also used in this 1951 film. Some popular ballplayers from that time can be seen as well. It’s a fun movie to watch, especially for a baseball fan.
DAMN YANKEES
Here’s a film genre rarely associated with baseball : musical comedy. This 1958 film hit the big screen with the original 1955 Broadway cast almost intact. Who would have thought of a light-hearted sports romp inspired by Faust. The Yankees of the title are from NYC and the guy constantly damning them is Washington Senators fan Joe Boyd. He strikes a deal with Mr. Applegate (future favorite TV Martian Ray Walston) and the middle-aged slug becomes the youthful super sportsman Joe Hardy ( movie addition hunky blonde beefcake Tab Hunter). Helping out Applegate is the ultimate femme fatale Lola (Gwen Verdon). Be sure and catch the Mambo number between Verdon and future hubby choreographer supreme Bob Fosse. The musical may be best known for the songs “Whatever Lola Wants” (which became the film’s title in certain markets) and “Heart,” about trying your best even when losing. Hmm… wonder if they sing that ditty in the home locker room at Wrigley Field?
FEAR STRIKES OUT
FEAR STRIKES OUT (1957) is based on the life of troubled Boston Red Sox pitcher Jimmy Piersall, It compellingly charts his life from a boy with a love for baseball to his dream of making it in the big leagues. Piersall suffered from schizophrenia, a condition he blamed on his father’s aggressive and autocratic behavior. The pressure finally got to Piersall who went nuts right on the field and spent time in a mental institution.FEAR STRIKES OUT is a strange psychological look at the game grounded by a terrific sensitive performance by Anthony Perkins as the young Piersall and a scary turn by Karl Malden as his father.
MR. 3000
After getting his 3000th hit, Stan Ross (Bernie Mac) retires right in the middle of the Milwaukee Brewers’ pennant race thinking he will be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. But now, just as the cocky star is about to be voted into Cooperstown, the media happily uncovers that Ross only managed to get 2,997 hits. So close to the landmark number, Ross has only one choice – rejoin the Brewers for the most unlikely comeback a sport has ever seen. Directed by Charles Stone III. With Angela Bassett and Paul Sorvino. Did you know that at the start of the film, when Stan Ross is walking to the plate with 2,999 hits (the first time), the announcer says “Will this be the at bat…” then states the date…”that Stan Ross hits number 3000?” TV announcer Joe Buck asked an almost identical question when St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark McGwire was sitting on 61 home runs. McGwire stepped to the plate and hit number 62, breaking Roger Maris’ single-season home run record, set in 1961.
FEVER PITCH
The timing on this one was tailored made – A romantic comedy revolving around the Red Sox’s fairy tale 2004, World Series Championship season. On October 27 2004, Game 4 of the 2004 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox, the finale of this film was shot. After the last play of the game in the bottom of the ninth during the Red Sox celebration, stars Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon were filmed also celebrating together on the field. A brief shot of the filming could be seen live on the Fox broadcast of the World Series. Rewritesby Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly had to be done immediately following the World Series game 7 clincher of the ALCS against the New York Yankees to include the historic 2004 Boston Red Sox post-season. Several fans who appeared in the 2004 documentary, “Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie,” were given roles in the movie.
FIELD OF DREAMS
After all these years the life-equals-baseball masterpiece still packs an unexpected kick, even after you know all its tricks and charms from repeat visits. Like all great sports movies, FIELD OF DREAMS isn’t really about sports. It’s about a quest, a yearning so deep it rules the characters’ lives. FIELD OF DREAMS is the perfect family pick and you won’t find a better film to clue your children into how important their parents will seem to them as they grow older. I know it did for me.
FIELD OF DREAMS is adapted from W.P. Kinsella’s book SHOELESS JOE. Kevin Costner plays Ray Kinsella an Iowa corn farmer who’s farm is failing, but instead of tending to business, he listens to a voice in his head that says: “Ease his pain. If you build it, he will come.” Ray plows the corn under and builds the most beautiful amateur field ever made, providing the backdrop for a reconciliation with exiled baseball star “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.
But there are other heroes who want to come play ball on Ray’s field, and one of them may be his father. Packed inside the movie are road trips with Terence “Terry” Mann (James Earl Jones) and Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham (Burt Lancaster), each vignette showcasing Costner’s ability to play well with other strong actors on the big screen. Your kids might not cry, but I can almost guarantee that you will. The results of the World Series may have you blubbering but FIELD OF DREAMS gets the tears flowing year in and year out.
Could there be a new trend in the field of feature-length documentaries? After last year’s Oscar winner UNDEFEATED and the surprise box office success of this year’s SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN, are we seeing a spate of “feel-good” doc? They’ve had an unfair rep as dour and somber for quite some time now. Many film goers avoid them completely, feeling that they’re the movie equivalent of a dull lecture or homework (“shudder”)! But THE OTHER DREAM TEAM is a truly uplifting movie. And to quote one of the film’s subjects, “What a long, strange, trip it’s been”.
This is primarily the story of the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team whose tale really begins in 1940. That’s when the USSR, in order to battle the Axis menace, took over the country of Lithuania. During those many dark days of occupation Lithuanians sought relief by indulging in their favorite national sport of basketball. Make-shift hoops and goal post sprung up everywhere. Many gifted athletes emerged and were major players in the Soviet Olympic teams. The NBA in the United States attempted to draft several other them, but the Soviets would not allow them to leave Lithuania. After Russia pulled out of the 1984 Olympics, many thought their gold medal dreams were dashed. Then came the triumph of the 1988 games with four Lithuanians in the starting five. Shortly thereafter came the fall of the USSR and the liberation of their homeland. They would compete in the 1992 Olympics for Lithuania at last. Wonderful, except for the lack of funds for the team’s expenses. Who could could step in and help? Their unlikely benefactors were Jerry Garcia and his band. The Dead even provided special tye-dyed uniforms. The Lithuanians would be able to compete, but how would they fare against the juggernaut known as the USA “Dream Team” (consisting of superstars like Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley)?
Director Marius A. Markevicius keep things moving along at a fairly brisk pace in telling the early history of the sport in Lithuania. Newsreel footage is intercut with animation and movie clips that highlight Russian stereotypes (Ivan Drago, Boris Badenov,etc.). We get to see the old team passing on their skills to a younger generation. And of course there are TV reports on the battle to oust USSR troops (heart-wrenching scenes of carnage and chaos). Most of the film has the standard talking head interviews with those 1993 players along with US sport stars such as Bill Walton and Chris Mullin, NBA commissioner David Stern, Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart, and sportscaster Jim Lampley. This can put a bit of a drag on the film’s momentum, but the euphoria of the final moments will leave you ecstatic. THE OTHER DREAM TEAM is not just for basketball fans. This tale of a country finally gaining its independence is a story to inspire everyone, Seems a win is even sweeter when you’re playing for your homeland.
3.5 Out of 5 stars
THE OTHER DREAM TEAM plays exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas
Over a year has passed since ZOOKEEPER, so the multiplexes are overdue for another family friendly comedy from Kevin James. Since his TV sitcom ” The King of Queens ” ended James has been a matinee fixture going back to PAUL BLART: MALL COP in 2009. And he’s now firmly established as a member of Adam Sandler’s staple of film stars ( along with Sandler’s old SNL buddies ) as either a headline or supporting player ( in GROWN UPS and its upcoming sequel ) or lead. Since Sandler went for the more adult audiences with last Summer’s under-performing THAT’S MY BOY, James is being sent in to scoop up the pre-teen box-office bucks. The new flick, HERE COMES THE BOOM, is an odd mix of subjects. He’s a teacher, so he can have cute interactions with some youngsters. But a good deal of it is set in the ultra-violent world of mixed martial arts competitions. Can the kiddies handle watching their fave mallcop get mercilessly pummeled in the octagon?
The glory days of Scott Voss ( James ) seem to be well in the past. He was a great competitive wrestler in high school and college. In 2002 he was named teacher of the year. Now he attempts to sneak past the surly Principal Betcher ( Greg Germann ) and avoid being disciplined for tardiness ( yup, the biology teacher is late ). Once at his desk, Scott puts no effort in his work. Then he hears lilting melodies of the school orchestra led by fellow veteran teacher Marty Streb ( Henry Winkler ). But the mean ole’ school board lowers the boom. The school’s budget is exhausted, so the music department is to go on the chopping block…unless they can raise nearly 50 grand! This spurs Scott into action! Car washes and bake sales will not be enough. He’ll pick up a bit by teaching at a night-time adult citizenship study class. There one of the better students, Niko ( Bas Rutten ) , hires Scott as a tutor for the upcoming citizenship test. At Niko’s home, Scott watches mixed-martial arts on TV for the first time. He learns that the loser in a match earned a sweet 10 grand. Well, Scott did wrestle back in his younger days, and Nico could train him. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, of course a whole lot does go wrong, otherwise it would be a pretty short flick. James is basically playing a variation of the likeable schlub from his TV series and previous family flicks. He and Jack Black are the current additions to the long line of , ahem, husky comedy stars going back to Roscoe ” Fatty ” Arbuckle through Curly Howard and Lou Costello to Jackie Gleason and the tragic trifecta of John Belushi, John Candy, and Chris Farley. While Black stretched his acting chops recently in BERNIE, James seems to be content in his comfort zone as a good-natured underdog. He showed what a graceful physical performer in his previous work, but there’s not much of that slapstick here besides a couple of pratfalls on the mat. A sequence in which he does some dance moves to help the kids understand cells seems labored ( these late night bouts seem to reignite his zeal for teaching ). Salma Hayek is brought in as the obligatory love interest as Bella Flores, the school nurse ( I’m surprised that we didn’t see a long line of ” ailing ” young men outside her office ). After her fiery turn as a drug kingpin in this Summer’s SAVAGES, this role was a bit of a let-down. She’s there to push away the self-centered burnout Scott at the film’s early scenes and melt when he battles for the kids later on ( and cheer from the stands during the big, final fight ). The best supporting player may be the former ” Fonz” as a meek music maker turned corner-man and co-trainer. Winkler’s proved himself a terrific bit player on TV recently on the classic ” Arrested Development ” and that little 15 minute gem ” Childrens Hospital “, and here he really brings a lot of comedic energy to his scenes. The script can use his help. Beside the predictability, it introduces subplots that don’t seem to go anywhere ( Scott’s frustrated brother and the smartest student’s Dad that wants her to give up band clumsily crash into each other ). The film makers are so desperate to keep things chugging along that we get prolonged barf gags and a food fight! And there’s way too much in here about the proper ring-entering music! Speaking of fights, the final one ditches the comedy and tries to be just as grim and gritty as any Rocky Balboa bout. Or like last year’s much superior look at MMA, WARRIOR ( it involved a teacher and was funnier, too! ). James battles real life champ Mark DellGrotte, who we know could make mincemeat out of this part-timer. But, not too worry, no gushing wounds to upset the little ones. There could be a really engaging hilarious comedy to be made about mixed martial arts, but James and the Happy Madison brand go for the easy gags ( let’s see that adorable little foreign man again! ) and cheap sentiment ( the last shot before the credits…really guys? ). As far as family entertainment goes, HERE COMES THE BOOM goes down for the count.
This past February, UNDEFEATED took home the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. The film tells the story of a feisty, focused coach determined to end the losing streak of a football team from a school that’s seen better days. The prime example of this plot would go all the way back to 1940 with KNUTE ROCKNE, ALL AMERICAN and continue through to the more recent REMEMBER THE TITANS and WE ARE MARSHALL. So it might be more than a bit familiar. And the documentary techniques are not ground-breaking. We’re basically a fly on the wall observing the start of the new season. But what observations! There’s just as much drama and suspense here as in any big Hollywood ” based on true events” flick. You don’t have to be a pigskin fanatic to be enthralled with these people. Perhaps you may identify with one or two of the principals even if you never took to the field.
UNDEFEATED chronicles the Fall 2009 football season at Manassas High School of West Memphis Tennessee. The area around the school has been hit hard by the economic down-turn. The neighborhoods are filled with boarded-up, abandoned houses, piles of garbage, and drug dealers on nearly every corner. The school’s football team ( as Colbert would call them, ” the fightin’ Tigers” ) is almost in the same sad shape as those mean streets. In some recent seasons the team went without a single win. Hoping to reverse the trend is Head Varsity Football Coach Joe Courtney. He’s the owner of a big lumber company who’s had a love of the game since childhood. We see him spending the early morning hours supervising his business then zipping over to the school to roam the halls and do some on the run recruiting ( ” Got a nice jersey just for you! “). He’s a big, jovial guy ( kind of a cross between Kevin James and the much missed John Candy ) who’s often the only white face roaming the hallways. With racial issues filling the news today, the film presents a great portrait of respect and co-operation. Courtney loves his team, but feels guilt pangs over the time away from his own kids. He blows his top sometimes, but he’s always there when his players have a problem.
Speaking of players, the film focuses on three members of the Tigers. The most promising, gifted player may be the gentle giant O.C. Brown. He’s got the size to take out the competition, but unlike most husky guys, O.C. has the speed. We see him clearing a path for the running back to score and running alongside. College scouts have started to sniff around. The only thing that O.C. can’t seem to break through is his studies, particularly the all-important SAT tests. Because he and his grandmother live in such a rough part of town, no tutors will venture there, so the coach came up with a plan. O.C. will live with the family of one of the coaching staff during the school week. After class and practice, the tutors will work with him there. The opulent suburbs are a completely foreign world to the big, sweet-natured young man ( reminiscent of THE BLIND SIDE, except he’s back with Grandma’ on the weekends ).
While O.C.’s a man of few words, his team-mate Motrail ‘Money” Brown, has the gift of gab. Money’s got big plans, but unfortunately he’s one of the shortest guys on the squad ( ala’ RUDY ). He spends most of the game begging to be sent in. His story might be the most affecting. He’s an easy-going, ambitious guy, who’s pals with the team’s loose cannon Chavis Daniels. We first meet Chavis as he returns to school after 15 months in a youth detention facility. He’s got an explosive temper and lashes out unexpectedly. Courtney’s got his hands full dealing with this angry young man’s blow-ups. The coach wrestles with Chavis’s behavior. How many chances does he get? Can football channel all his pent-up emotions. Or will he be swallowed up by the streets? It’s a wrenching dilemma.
What comes across in the film is a need by most of the team, including the coach, for a male authority figure. In an emotional confession Courtney talks about his father walking out of his life as a toddler. After finding some joy in football, he’d be filled with sadness watching his team mates leaving the field with their dads ( one hand on his son’s shoulders, the other carrying his boy’s helmet and pads ). We see the profiled players with mothers, aunts, and grandmothers, but rarely with male relatives. This not to say the film is full of gloom. Included are many small victories ( I won’t reveal how the season ended ), a major setback for one player, and an act of incredible kindness that may have you reaching for your hankie ( unless your veins are filled with ice water! ). As I said earlier, no ground-breaking documentary techniques here. No re-creations, no graphs, no animations. It’s similar to the format now adopted for TV sitcoms like ” The Office ” and ” Modern Family “. Except there’s very few seated confessionals or interviews here. Everyone’s always on the move, particularly Coach Courtney. I never threw on the pads and helmet at school, but I was delighted to spend some time with this team. Any teenager mentored by Coach Courtney is a winner, no matter what the scoreboard reads.
CROOKED ARROWS, the first ever mainstream lacrosse movie, hits theaters nationally on May 18th. The film centers on coach Joe Logan, who reluctantly leads a Native American high school team on their unlikely journey to the state lacrosse championship game against their prep school rivals. Along the way, Joe and the team rediscover their connection to the spiritual tradition of the ancient sport of lacrosse. Set in the diverse worlds of modern Native American culture and prep school lacrosse, Crooked Arrows offers moviegoers a new twist on a classic underdog sports story.
Directed by Steve Rash (American Pie Presents Band Camp), Crooked Arrows stars Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and Gil Birmingham (Twilight). The film was produced by J. Todd Harris (The Kids Are All Right), Mitchell Peck (Priest), and Adam Leff (The Last Action Hero). In addition, the movie features top lacrosse players from around the country, including a team of Iroquois players as well as professionals such as Paul Rabil, Zack Greer and Brodie Merrill who make cameo appearances, along with other notable lacrosse coaches. The lacrosse action was orchestrated by Sports Studio (Miracle, Game Plan).
“Crooked Arrows breaks new ground in the sports movie genre,” enthuses producer Harris. “It’s going to open up the world’s eyes to the great game of lacrosse.” “It’s also a real first for Native Americans,” adds producing partner Peck. “This is the first modern day, family-friendly Native American movie. We realized that in order to tell the true story of lacrosse, we had to tell an honest Native American story, as well. Putting together this movie has been a beautiful journey, and we’re sure it will make a lot of people proud.”
Crooked Arrows will be released through Peck Entertainment and Branded Pictures Entertainment in consultation with Freestyle Releasing and Russell Schwartz’s Pandemic Marketing. A notable group of partners have also joined in the film’s marketing and distribution plan, including the Onondaga Nation, Reebok, US Lacrosse and Moe’s Southwestern Grill.
Inspirational sports films are a dime a dozen, with a notable few that stand out, such as MYSTERY ALASKA, but rarely does one rise to the surface as an exceptionally memorable experience for viewers. For the most part, there’s a standard formula by which these films follow, neither good nor bad, but it’s a formula that works so it rarely changes. This is an important concept to keep in mind while watching THE HAMMER.
Directed by Oren Kaplan, THE HAMMER (also known as HAMILL) follows this formula closely, handing in an accomplished but familiar inspirational sports story of a young man rising to become the best, in this case as a wrestler. There’s nothing shameful in this, as the goal of such a film is to inspire audiences after all. The difference in this case, is in the subject matter and a particular creative choice which I found subtle but extraordinarily pleasing in the way the story is told.
Russell Harvard (THERE WILL BE BLOOD) plays Matt Hamill, hearing impaired from birth, he struggles to find his place growing up as the only deaf child in a small rural town. Despite his mother’s desire for him to learn sign language and attend a special school, Matt’s grandfather Stanley resists, pushing Matt to rely on himself, be strong and not fall into the trap of feeling bad for himself. From this “tough love” approach, Matt eventually rises to his own potential and becomes one of the best college wrestlers.
As with many films of this nature, the obvious payoff at the end of the film is not the most rewarding. THE HAMMER is all about the journey, the ups and downs of Hamill’s life, which is dominated by downs. Harvard captures the intricacies of a young man struggling to become a success without the traditional tools given to a deaf child, such as sign language. This become one more obstacle that Matt must overcome, at first learning to read lips as not to rely on others, but eventually learns the value of letting others help after meeting a fellow deaf student named Kristi, played by Shoshannah Stern (Television’s JERICHO and WEEDS). Stern herself is deaf, but her performance is greater than just her situational authenticity.
Raymond J. Barry (LITTLE CHILDREN, Television’s JUSTIFIED) delivers a sturdy performance as Matt’s grandfather Stanley. He provides the rough, no frills essentials that I think of when I imagine this “cold and hard exterior, soft and gooey interior” type of character. Michael Anthony Spady plays Matt’s college roommate and best friend Jay, but the film truly revolves around Matt, his grandfather and Kristi, both of whom help Matt grow in their own ways.
Kaplan taps the heart string; he develops the relationships and emphasizes the difficult times, all elements that fit perfectly within the mold of an inspirational film. The one thing that stands out for me above all else, aside from the choice to cast deaf actors including Russell Harvard and Shoshannah Stern, is the way Kaplan handled key moments in Hamill’s personal growth, moments of significance that shape his character. These most crucial experiences are conveyed in silence, not a mechanical silence, but a living, organic silence that illustrates the world in which matt lives. The result is an increased sense of being in the moment and a heightening of the dramatic impact for the viewer.
THE HAMMER also employs subtitles in a creative way, illustrating Matt’s struggle with reading lips. These little touches are what allow THE HAMMER to stand out from the crowd as an above average inspirational film, despite what might often feel a bit like a Hallmark movie, but also happens to be based on a true story. Matt Hamill is a real person, which is ultimately the most inspirational aspect of such films. At the end of THE HAMMER, the audience is treated to the genre standard of meeting the real life character, but the film wouldn’t be complete without this opportunity.
Showtimes Saturday, November 12th at 4:15pm – Tivoli Theatre
WARRIOR is the iconic “Rocky” film of the MMA generation, brutal, beautiful and emotionally extraordinary. For the scarce handful of those unfamiliar with the rapidly rising new sport, MMA is mixed martial arts, the next level of skilled combat athletics, combining any and all forms of hand-to-hand fighting styles. Yes, the film contains violence. How else do you tell a story so crucially centered on what will ultimately replace boxing, without depicting it as realistically as possible? The violence of the competition is exhilarating, but serves as a welcome and climactic payoff for the brutally honest, often gut-wrenching human drama that unfolds as the soul of the film.
The story follows two brothers, Tommy (Tom Hardy) and Brandon (Joel Edgerton), both of whom have histories as trained fighters. Tommy was an undefeated high school wrestling marvel who wound up a Marine himself, trained by their father Paddy (Nick Nolte), a Marine veteran with a violent, drunken past. Brandon also caught the wrestling bug, but followed through to become a mediocre UFC success as a professional fighter, before retiring and becoming a high school physics teacher, married with two girls. Both Tommy and Brandon, as we discover entirely separate of each other, have one thing in common, a deep-seeded and passionate anger toward their estranged father Paddy, now sober, now desperately struggles for nothing more than to somehow reconnect with his boys. This right here, more than anything else in the film, this relationship and how it plays out, is what sets WARRIOR apart from similar films.
Writer and director Gavin O’Connor has created his best work of cinema since 2004’s MIRACLE, and I believe surpasses the beloved and inspiring hockey film. The film as a whole is powerful and magnetic, grabbing hold of the viewer’s very spirit and never letting go. The way in which O’Connor isolates the two brothers’ stories builds suspense and empathy for both characters equally, creating not one, but two heroes for us to encourage and follow. Tommy and Brandon need no external antagonist, as they serve that role for themselves, fighting inner demons, both past and present. O’Connor takes the camera in close, maintaining an intimate relationship between the characters and the viewer. This intimacy is especially strong during the moments when Paddy attempts to make amends with his boys, showcasing the incredible trinity of masterful performances from these three actors.
Nick Nolte (AFFLICTION, OFF THE BLACK), no stranger to the bottle himself, is brilliant on screen, selling his character with such a flawless certainty that translated into moments when I literally forgot I was watching a movie, and not a real human being experiencing such tragically exhausting personal conflict. Equally mesmerizing was Tom Hardy (BRONSON, INCEPTION) as Tommy, filled with a quiet rage that seethes from his very aura. Hardy is a hulking, brooding menace, confined within his own self-pity, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his emotions in a mushroom cloud of pent-up anger toward his father. Opposite of Tommy, is Joel Edgerton (THE SQUARE, ANIMAL KINGDOM) as Brandon, an externally calm and peaceful family man, hiding the traumatic influence his father has had on his life.
WARRIOR is compelling, drawing as much on the viewer’s capacity to summon compassion for a fictional character as it draws on the adrenaline glands to heighten the thrill of the experience, succeeding at both. While the fights themselves are clearly not accurate to the reality of how the majority of MMA fights play out, the fight choreography itself is stellar. Hardy and Edgerton have clearly done their homework, convincing me to never piss either one of them off in real life. What WARRIOR does is to reduce the vastly diverse world of MMA down into a carefully constructed collage of the key elements of the fighting arts, showcasing the essence of MMA as a fine chef would rely on reduction to create a quality red wine sauce. What we see in WARRIOR are the most flavorful bits of MMA, reduced down to a perfectly executed dish. With that said, you would rarely ever see the shear quantity of perfectly executed moves on display in a single event as are seen in the film, but that’s what we expect to see. O’Connor delivers!
Rounding out the film are substantially effective performances from the supporting cast, including a stand out role for Jennifer Morrison (HOUSE M.D.) as Brandon’s wife and Kevin Dunn (TRANSFORMERS) in a small but welcome, humorous role as the high school principal. Making a cameo appearance is the Olympic-turned-professional wrestler Kurt Angle as Koba, the massive and intimidating Russian fighter that all other fighters fear. The director himself even supplies his own extended cameo as J.J. Riley, the wealthy Wall Street tycoon that bank rolls the Sparta MMA competition that Tommy and Brandon both endeavor to champion.
With a film done so well, I would be remiss if I were not completely honest and point out the one flaw in WARRIOR, being a montage constructed of multiple training shots floating simultaneously across the screen, intended as a creative juxtaposition of Tommy and Brandon’s paths merging. The result became the only moment I ever found myself pulled from the story, but is minor enough to be overlooked.
Where ROCKY fails to deliver any realism in the fights, WARRIOR succeeds. Where CINDERELLA MAN set the bar for emotional attachment of the audience to the hero has been raised, triumphantly. What THE FIGHTER managed to achieve as a lasting impression on the viewer has been overshadowed by WARRIOR, which I believe is one of the best films of 2011 and most certainly should reward both the seasoned Nick Nolte and the relatively new and rising star Tom Hardy with Oscar nominations, perhaps sadly leaving Edgerton ever so slightly under-appreciated for his equally stunning performance.
