Best Sports movies - even minor sports

[keefe]

Is Mountaineer a military branch you're referring to where they fight for 720 hours? Or are you just talking about climbing a mountain? Because sport is more than just endurance. Hard sports are measured by many factors and while I don't agree with the overall ranking of this list I think the factors they use are a good measure of how tough a sport is. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

Dude, relax. I was just funnin' ya.

[keefe]

Wonderful/Thanks!  Jeremy is a fascinating guy and a good soul, he'll appreciate the support.

I was going to say 'no' on the First Ascents but I just cruised through his 'archives' on his site and the very first entry is "2006 story of First Ascent in The Black Canyon".  I'll have to ask him next time I see him which, as you pointed out, is sometimes tough to do since he lives in KC and climbs but I'll let you know if he was.

Let me know how you enjoy the book and I'll pass it along

I see on his website he climbed Gothic Pillar with Jonny Copp. Copp is a legend. Your bud climbs with some serious dudes. Excellent.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Has anyone done Ping Pong yet?

Have to go with "Forrest Gump" because "Balls of Fury" sucked a$$.

Yes, Balls of Fury from 2007.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Hockey:
Mystery, Alaska

I actually this movie could've been a classic family movie. But for some reason, they threw in a bunch of sexual references, including one of the players banging the mayors wife. I really enjoy the movie (Mike Myers is great!) but I think they grossly misjudged who the audience would be for a NY Rangers play pond hockey movie.

[MU B2002]

No tennis movies?  I cannot think of one.

Match Point

[warriorchick]

I am surprised none of you red-blooded American Males nominated "Personal Best" for track.

[MU82]

I am surprised none of red-blooded American Males nominated "Personal Best" for track.

Horrendous movie but yes, lotsa T & A scenes.

[Benny B]

Yes, Balls of Fury from 2007.

Oh, that Balls of Fury

[Benny B]

I wont be baited; please stop trying. Please dont "guess".

You read controversy into mere quotes, when it was just my way of noting the category of the movie.

I had hoped you wouldnt start a digression into what is "sport"...but your debate is teed up, with others. Please argue with them, I dont really care, esp. in the context of sharing movie memories.

Cars is a fun movie, too.

Baited into what?  I listed a movie, and you summarily dismissed it... right after speaking about erring on the side of inclusion, no less.



On topic, I agree with Field of Dreams being the most overrated sports movie ever.  If sentimental BS intertwined with a lukewarm sports story is what it takes for one to reflect upon his own life with regret, then I'd suggest For Love of the Game before Field of Dreams.

[CTWarrior]

Baited into what?  I listed a movie, and you summarily dismissed it... right after speaking about erring on the side of inclusion, no less.



On topic, I agree with Field of Dreams being the most overrated sports movie ever.  If sentimental BS intertwined with a lukewarm sports story is what it takes for one to reflect upon his own life with regret, then I'd suggest For Love of the Game before Field of Dreams.

For Love of the Game would be great if they got rid of the Kelly Preston storyline (she peaked in "Mischief" in 1985).  Field of Dreams hasn't aged well, but Burt Lancaster hams it up awesomely in his cameo and MU alum Amy Madigan is good in it.  Not only does Joe Jackson bat from the wrong side of the plate (heck they even reversed the film so Gary Cooper could bat right-handed as Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees - its not that hard), but they mispronounced Eddie Cicotte's name.  Eight Men Out is a pretty good account of the Black Sox scandal.  Baseball is the hardest sport to fake in a movie if you've never played it.

[warriorchick]

For Love of the Game would be great if they got rid of the Kelly Preston storyline (she peaked in "Mischief" in 1985).  Field of  Baseball is the hardest sport to fake in a movie if you've never played it.

That might be an overstatement. How about gymnastics or figure skating?  Or swimming, for that matter. If you have never been a serious competitive swimmer, it would take months  develop passable stroke technique, especially for anything other than freestyle.

But yeah, baseball movies are full of fakers.  Have you ever noticed that the only person in "A League of Their Own" who can actually play is Rosie O'Donnell?  I am not sure they actually show Madonna throwing or hitting.

[Benny B]

That might be an overstatement. How about gymnastics or figure skating?  Or swimming, for that matter. If you have never been a serious competitive swimmer, it would take months  develop passable stroke technique, especially for anything other than freestyle.

But yeah, baseball movies are full of fakers.  Have you ever noticed that the only person in "A League of Their Own" who can actually play is Rosie O'Donnell?  I am not sure they actually show Madonna throwing or hitting.

They made it look like Russell Crowe could actually skate in Mystery, Alaska.  Pretty decent, actually, until you watch closely.

Swim caps and goggles would make swimming easy to fake with stunt doubles.  I'd probably have to re-watch Toepick to see how John Cusack did as a figure skater.

[CTWarrior]

That might be an overstatement. How about gymnastics or figure skating?  Or swimming, for that matter. If you have never been a serious competitive swimmer, it would take months  develop passable stroke technique, especially for anything other than freestyle.

But yeah, baseball movies are full of fakers.  Have you ever noticed that the only person in "A League of Their Own" who can actually play is Rosie O'Donnell?  I am not sure they actually show Madonna throwing or hitting.

Actually, I thought Lori Petty did the best job of looking like a player in that movie (except for the extras that obviously could play).

I suppose you are right that swimming would be the toughest if you've never swam before because of the whole drowning thing.  But with a few weeks of training I would think you could fake anything reasonably well except for the butterfly.  You may be right about figure skating but they just use creative angles and real skaters in those movies and just show them start smiling after sticking the landing or whatever they call it.  They never do that for baseball, though.  They seem to think that they can show Thomas Jane playing Mickey Mantle in "61*" making a throw from the outfield even though he throws like a righthanded 6 year old girl throwing lefthanded.

[naginiF]

I see on his website he climbed Gothic Pillar with Jonny Copp. Copp is a legend. Your bud climbs with some serious dudes. Excellent.

Here's his response when i emailed him this story:

"this is hilarious.

Yes I was in First Ascent.
In fact he might like to know in the trailer- I'm the guy in the green vest that has the hair raising rock fall (on a first ascent in patagonia).

just home from nepal , off to arizona tomorrow for another film shoot. Been sick for a month. Over it."

I believe he's referencing the :32 mark on this trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XQkHls-pE4

[muwarrior69]

The Jacky Robinson Story (1950). Jacky played himself, somewhat low budget, but a classic.

[CTWarrior]

Time to go back to the 80s

Diving (if you believe that is a sport):
Back to School
(with Rodney Dangerfield as the most unlikely "athlete" in movie history.  Michael Caine is 2nd for "Victory", with Michael J. Fox (non-wolf version) and his whole team as basketball players in Teen Wolf garnering honorable mention)

Martial Arts:
The Karate Kid

Basketball:
Porky's

[MU B2002]

Basketball:
Basketball Diaries


Drugs:
Basketball Diaries

[keefe]

Here's his response when i emailed him this story:

"this is hilarious.

Yes I was in First Ascent.
In fact he might like to know in the trailer- I'm the guy in the green vest that has the hair raising rock fall (on a first ascent in patagonia).

just home from nepal , off to arizona tomorrow for another film shoot. Been sick for a month. Over it."

I believe he's referencing the :32 mark on this trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XQkHls-pE4

I was right - that is him in First Ascent. The First Ascent series is f#cking awesome. That is a man I would love to drink some scotch with.

Did he climb or mountaineer in Nepal? I did three Annapourna peaks over the years but there are some great walls around the Machapuchare Base Camp we couldn't stay off of while waiting to head up.

I'll write Jeremy a review after I read his book.   

[warriorchick]

They made it look like Russell Crowe could actually skate in Mystery, Alaska.  Pretty decent, actually, until you watch closely.

Swim caps and goggles would make swimming easy to fake with stunt doubles.  I'd probably have to re-watch Toepick to see how John Cusack did as a figure skater.

I guess by "faking" I thought CTWarrior meant the actual actor doing the faking.  In that case, you can fake baseball pretty easily by just photographing the stunt double from the back, from far away, or with the baseball cap pulled down far enough.

In "Blades of Glory", they actually used CGI to put Will Ferrell's and Jon Heder's heads on the bodies of other skaters.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I guess by "faking" I thought CTWarrior meant the actual actor doing the faking.  In that case, you can fake baseball pretty easily by just photographing the stunt double from the back, from far away, or with the baseball cap pulled down far enough.

In "Blades of Glory", they actually used CGI to put Will Ferrell's and Jon Heder's heads on the bodies of other skaters.

Did actual skaters perform the "Iron Lotus?"

[warriorchick]

Did actual skaters perform the "Iron Lotus?"

I heard that they did decapitate a live person, but it wasn't a skater.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer?

[LloydsLegs]

Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer?

You are old school, sir.  Love that movie--just had a vibe.

[Marqevans]

Has anyone done Ping Pong yet?

Have to go with "Forrest Gump" because "Balls of Fury" sucked a$$.

It had football and running too!

[Marqevans]

Additional baseball movies are "the Monty Stratton Story" and on the lighter side "Angels in the Outfield"