Languish.org

To celebrate the Olympics, another movie poll!

What counts as a "sport" can be very muddy, so my informal rule is that if it has been featured at the Olympics (Winter or Summer) semi-regularly, then it gets in. So no billiards, pro wrestling, or motorsports.

My personal winnner is Raging Bull, which is one of my favorie movies of all time. But if I had to go for a "traditional" sports movie ("underdog beats all odds and becomes champ*"), I guess it's gotta be Rocky.

*or nearly

Obviously the field is huge, so I'm giving everybody 3 votes.

Nearly half the candidates are either boxing or baseball movies, but those are the most cinematic sports of all. Futbol movies suck for some reason :(

Torn between "Raging Bull" and "Chariots of fire", really.

Hoosiers, Raging Bull, Mr. Baseball edging out Bull Durham.

No Happy Gilmore? :(

BB is away so I will mention Men With Brooms for him.

I think "The Damned United" was one of the best sports movies I have seen. Michael Sheen's version of Brian Clough was eerily like watching the man himself. But it is a rather niche film, since you'd really had to have a relationship to 1970s English football.  :bowler:

No Cool Runnings  :(

Quote from: Norgy on July 28, 2024, 09:06:07 AMI think "The Damned United" was one of the best sports movies I have seen. Michael Sheen's version of Brian Clough was eerily like watching the man himself. But it is a rather niche film, since you'd really had to have a relationship to 1970s English football.  :bowler:

I thought it was a great film, and I was unfamiliar with any of the characters.

Victory! is Escape to Victory, of course.  :P

Quote from: Duque de Bragança on July 28, 2024, 10:13:06 AMVictory! is Escape to Victory, of course.  :P

The one with Pelé AND Sylvester Stallone? Let's just say, it has not aged well.

I disagree. It's not that it did not age well, it was already... problematic unless seen through the eyes of a football-loving child. It may be still used in debates when somebody claims not singing the anthem is not "respecting" it, there are other ways to do so...  :ph34r:

Last screening at the Cinémathèque mixed up the reels so we had a post-modern editing experience.

Quote from: Norgy on July 28, 2024, 10:31:43 AM

Quote from: Duque de Bragança on July 28, 2024, 10:13:06 AMVictory! is Escape to Victory, of course.  :P

The one with Pelé AND Sylvester Stallone? Let's just say, it has not aged well.

It's not a terribly good movie, to be honest. I put it there because of the amazing cast and that I'm partial to the sport. This one and Bend it Like Beckham are about the only notable football movies I could come up with :D Damned United would've been a decent pick, but I blanked on that one.

That said, there just aren't supergreat football movies. I guess it's a hard sport to put into film. Few scoring actions, lots of players to keep track of... Best way to approach it is probably with the off-the-pitch drama, like Damned United or Ted Lasso.

We are Marshall.

Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, and, my favorite and not listed, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Each is important to me in different ways. Field of Dreams for my relationship with my dad and A League of Their Own for my relationship with my sister. Bagger is just... amazing. I've found myself scrolling through and finding it is on and, almost without fail, I'll watch the rest of it.

With all the George Best clips, I think T2: Trainspotting might even qualify as a sports movie.

Quote from: Norgy on July 28, 2024, 09:06:07 AMI think "The Damned United" was one of the best sports movies I have seen. Michael Sheen's version of Brian Clough was eerily like watching the man himself. But it is a rather niche film, since you'd really had to have a relationship to 1970s English football.  :bowler:

The book's outstanding too - also his Red Riding Quartet.

My favorite on the list is definitely When We Were Kings, but documentaries aren't really comparable to other movies IMHO.

On the list - absolutely Hoop Dreams.

Love that film.

What?  No "Men With Brooms", the Canadian curling movie (it's in the Olympics!) starring Paul Gross and Leslie Nielsen?  :P

I love curling, but it wasn't that good a movie.

I'm voting Field of Dreams, Slap Shot and Friday Night Lights.

Friday Night Lights TV show is one of my go to comfort re-watches. I love that show (except for the second season which is very obviously impacted by the strike :lol:).

Quote from: The Brain on July 28, 2024, 04:12:44 PMMy favorite on the list is definitely When We Were Kings, but documentaries aren't really comparable to other movies IMHO.

Yeah I was torn whether to include them, but both When We Were Kings and Hoop Dreams are just way too good.

A couple more options...

- Rudy
- The Best of Times

Escape to victory of course  :bowler:

Mike basset is worth mentioning seriously.

This sporting life was good too.

There's probably some good  foreign ones but I cannot recall.

Quote from: Josquius on July 29, 2024, 01:47:12 AMMike basset is worth mentioning seriously.

It manages to stay relevant every time England qualifies. Ricky Tomlinson is a very good actor and there are some scenes both in the movie and in "Mike Bassett: League Manager" that make me giggle when I think about them.

It takes all the football tropes, like the hair-dryer teamtalk and the utterly unsympathetic press into a satire that is borderline believable. There are these neat little touches, such as Norwich winning "The Mister Clutch" cup, Tonka (who is basically Paul Gascoigne) and the utterly useless assistant Doddsy.

It's very good. The open top bus parade accidentally turning onto a motorway too :lol:

May be a new entry soon. I am very hyped for this in Damned United territory :ph34r: :lol:
https://variety.com/2024/film/global/saipan-steve-coogan-mick-mccarthy-eanna-hardwick-roy-keane-1236086199/

Now that looks interesting. I can almost hear the lawsuits coming already.

College (1927) of course; if nothing else, the final gag is among the darkest and funniest in cinema.

Unfortunately American Football isn't played at the Olympics, so the other classic, The Freshman can't be included.    :(

 ;)

Rocky and Raging Bull are in a league of their own. :contract:

Quote from: Caliga on August 05, 2024, 01:28:59 PMRocky and Raging Bull are in a league of their own. :contract:

(https://i.imgur.com/Dwu4nkS.png)

That was... intentional. :showoff: :perv:

Rocky, Raging Bull, and Bull Durham. Love those films.

Though it breaks my heart to not vote for many of those other films.

Though I did not think the Longest Yard was actually that great. No offense to Burt Reynolds fans.