Just watched We Are Marshall

Here's where the subjective realm of judging a movie comes in.

Like most of his films — "Training Day" aside — Denzel's made a career of playing Denzel in the movies. Only one or two of his movies has really stretched him, I think.

 

You really have to wonder why he doesn't do more "training day" type roles. It won him an Oscar for gosh sake. I'd much rather watch a movie with Denzel as the guy you're not sure if he's good or bad until the end instead of watching him negotiate with a kidnapper or drug lord on a rooftop for the umpteenth time.

 

I think you'll get your wish with American Gangster.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gangster15oct15,1,1407364.story?coll=la-headlines-business

 

Friday Night Lights was crap.

Best modern sports movie is 61*, IMO.

 

"Miracle" was pretty damn good. It was Disney-fied, which I hate, but they stayed true to the story (mostly because they had to -- it's so well known.)

"Glory Road," although Disney-fied, was also very good, mostly because of Josh Lucas' performance. But they took liberties with the history and that pissed me off. I know you have to have a conflict of some sort, but you don't have to insert situations that happened in 1961 and '63 into 1966 to make it a better movie. The real story was good enough on its own.

"Cinderella Man" was outstanding. A great film, and a great historical sports story. Ron Howard treated it well, and Russell Crowe was tremendous as always. Fuckabuncha Renee Zellweger; she nearly ruined it. I can't stand her anyway.

"61*" is the best of the bunch. Billy Crystal understood the material and his passion for it showed through. Jane/Pepper delivered surreal performances as Mantle/Maris.

 

"61*" was in the HBO rotation recently, and I've watched it three times. I hate baseball, but it was a wonderful film, very moving.

Whoever mentioned "Radio" made a good call. Very underrated movie. Proved Cuba Gooding Jr. could actually act and Ed Harris delivers as he always does.

"Titans," despite all the Disney-fied flaws, sucks me in every single time.

 

Slider. Didn't slide.

Buckdub, what's you got against Renee Zellwegger? I've always liked her, anorexic personal aside.

 

You are my hero simply for knowing that movies exists. My friends look at that DVD everytime they come over and just crack up.

 

I've never been able to catch "Radio" from the beginning, but it always catches my attention.

I saw "61*" a few years ago and felt like I was watching everything I read unfold on the screen. It's not my favorite baseball movie, but it's up there -- definitely, in my top two true stories, though "Eight Men Out" is No. 1.

 

Damn straight.

 

In no particular order:

Top five based (however loosely) on real events: 61*, Eight Men Out, Hoosiers, Miracle, Cinderella Man

Top five fictitious sports movies: North Dallas Forty, The Bad News Bears (the original), Rocky, Bull Durham, Breaking Away (though you can argue it's not really a sports movie)

 

I'd put "The Pride of St. Louis" (Dizzy Dean story) in my top five.