sports film festival!

I've been watching the 2020/2021 Olympics the last two weeks, having caught the Lighting of The Torch ceremony "with" Barbara (at our respective houses).

I was very impressed with the number of athletes representing different sports, including those in the Para-Olympics.

The scene reminded me of the vast range in athletic activities, not only in these Summer Games, but also in the movies I had watched last October.

That's when I had begun my Sports Film Festival!

I kept meaning to write it up, but then another such movie would be deemed worthy and I'd postpone the labor of scripting for all.

No more!

And, because I have housework awaiting, I'm going to just post the notes I'd made.

*****     *****     *****

1: "Cooped Up" 2016   crackle T Oct 6
-athlete about to get his big break-single players, not teams
Sport: Wrestling
Australian made-for-tv, starring two Aussie soap opera stars 24-yo wrestler is about to go on his big American break...
when he gets a novel coronavirus and goes into quarantine instead

2: "Grown Ups" 2010   tbs W Oct 7
-former athletes looking to regain their status-team activity
Sport: Basketball
Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Kevin James
reunion of 5 out-of-touch middle-school basketball buddies, 30 yrs after championship
reason: coach died

3: "Tag" 2018  tbs T Oct 13
-boys being boys being friends who are family-single players as teams
Sport: Tag
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing."
Jon Hamm, Ed Helms, Jeremy Renner, Jake Jackson, Hannibal Buress
5 buddies since middle-school unite each May to play the game
Based on a true story!
Great film of the old friends playing Tag during part of credits -
and of Jeremy Renner singing Crash Test Dummies' "Mmm Mmm Mmm", accompanied by others, during rest of credits!

4: "Jerry Maguire" 1996   tbs W Oct 14
-agent making contracts for various athletes-
Sport: Football
Tom Cruise as a sports agent who has a moment of enlightenment that gets him fired.
Cuba Gooding, Jr., as the one client that stays, an aging AZ football player looking for one last good deal.
Renee Zellweger as the office worker inspired by the manifesto to follow the lone wolf.

5: "Dogtown And Z-Boys"  2001   crackle R Oct 15
-players in one sport seguing to another-girls AND boys-single players, not teams
Sport: Surfing and Skateboarding
doc'y narrated by Sean Penn - great music - before Tony Hawk there was Tony Alba

6: "Summer Storm" 2004   here R Oct 15
-team players-
Sport: Rowing
NOTE: in German w English subtitles throughout
High school players from several areas in Germany come together at camp
big championship game at the end
two friends, one gay, one not, deal with homosexuality when gay one is outed
funny music choices ("La Cucaracha" at a banquet); team called Queerstrokers
sweet coming of age flick

7: "Save The Last Dance" 2001   tbs Sa Oct 17
-solo and as a pair-
Sport: Dance (ballet, hiphop)
death of mom puts ballet dream on hold until new guy teaching her hiphop
pushes her to try again

8: "Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby" 2006   tbs Su Oct 18
-solo effort but as part of team-
Sport: Auto Racing (Nascar)
better than expected tale of two lifelong friends and a missing dad -
gratuitous coarseness kept it from being successful
Jane Lynch was aWEsoMe as Ricky's mom

9: "The Damned United"  2009     crackle T Oct 20
-team management-
Sport: Soccer
not-quite doc'y with STUNNING cinematography of Brighton Beach!
the short-lived management of the Leeds team by Brian Clough, played delightfully by Michael Sheen (robot bartender of "Passengers")

10: "Ponchao"  2013    crackle  W Oct 21
-pitcher and team-
Sport: Baseball
Note: en espanol
Alex, like his dad, loves baseball so much he'd lie to play... and he does then, like his dad, one lie leads to another
next thing you know, he's on the mound preening and prancing...i.e., OUT...
just so he can play baseball
really good comedy!
(title is local for "you're out!" and said by every umpire in the movie)

11: "Wonders Of The Sea"    2017  crackle Su Oct 25
-group/family-
Sport: Scuba diving
doc'y narrated w witticisms by Arnold Schwarznegger - Jean-Michel Cousteau and family in the Pacific Ocean, around Fiji Islands (stunning night diving) - northern CA (giant kelp beds) - Sea of Cortez (mangrove swamp) - Bahamas (for annual hammerhead shark mating season)

12: "The Walk"   2015  crackle F Nov 6
-solo, but group assist-
Sport: Tightrope walking
doc'y about the French guy who walked between the South and North towers of the World Trade Center
on Aug 6, 1974, imbuing the almost-completed buildings with heart and giving New Yorkers
a reason to love them instead of loathe them
very touching

13: "The Climb"   2019  Wynnsong  Sa Nov 14
-solo, or in groups-
Sport: Bicycling
fict'l story of two lifelong male friends and the hurdles faced over the years,
most particularly b/c one is alcoholic and a sex addict
nice to see the other didn't allow his friend's maladies to derail his own life

14: "Don't Talk To Irene"  2018  crackle Sa Feb 13
- group -
Sport: Cheerleading
fict'l tale of overweight teen who gets in trouble at school and has to do community service at the retirement home next to the school - she wants to be a cheerleader, ends up getting the folks there to enter a competition on tv

15: "Split"  2016  crackle Sa Feb 13
- group -
Sport: Bowling
fict'l tale of girl who decides to marry a bowler like her dad, who recently died - hitch is she wants to do it before her 30th bday, which only gives her a month

16: "Break Point" 2014   crackle T Feb 16, 2021
- doubles -
Sport: Tennis
fict'l tale of two estranged brothers who were once big on the tennis circuit until jimmy screwed over younger bro Darren - who is now a 6th grade sub teacher w 11 yo fan Barry - really a great guy flick!

17: "Dream Horse" 2020  Su May 23, 2021
-solo effort-
Sport: Horse racing
delightful Welsh tale, based on true story, of woman in mid-life crisis (played winningly by Toni Collette) who changes herself, and her town, convincing others to buy a horse with her and get it trained to race

18: "In The Heights" 2021  Wynnsong Big D R June 10, 2021
-group activity, not teams-
Sport: Synchronized Swimming
yes, mostly dancing in this modern musical... but absolutely LOVED the pool scenes!

19: "The Longshots" 2008  bounce Su July 18, 2021
-nontraditional player in team sport-
Sport: Football
high school team is ever losing until former player (Ice Cube) brings his talented niece, with her arm like a rocket launcher and sure aim
true movie about Jasmine Plummer

20: "Walk Like A Man: A Real Life Drama About Blood, Sweat & Queers"  2008  here  W July 28, 2021
-team effort-
Sport: Rugby
incredible look at 2008 rugby championship between San Francisco Fog and Sydney Convicts
really liked the behind the scenes stories of the players, like in "A Chorus Line"
had never heard of the Mark Brigham Cup, named for one of the passengers on the 9-11-2001 flight that would have crashed into the Pentagon

21: "Who's Your Caddy?" 2007  bounce R August 1, 2021
-solo or team activity-
Sport: Golf
Big Boi takes on Jeffery Jones, as a rapper/hiphop producer trying to get a membership at an exclusive country club
absolutely hilarious!
Like mashup of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Caddyshack"!

*****     *****     *****

Some (2, 3, 4, 12) I'd seen before, but I viewed them again to include those sports.

I'm quite pleased to not have duplicates!

Now, off to sweep and vacuum and and other adult stuff!