Friday, February 20, 2009

No "Chariots of Fire"?

With the Academy Awards set for Sunday night, we have an online poll going on the top sports movies of all time. There's 27 to choose from. If you haven't voted, exercise your constitutional right and do so.

Confession: I'm not a real big sports movie fan. I love sports and love movies, but usually not sports movies. Hollywood tends to overdramatize the plots and make it all tie up a little bit too cutesy. Sports itself is drama enough. And maybe since movies are an escape and I spent many years in sports, I didn't want to escape to the movies and see sports.

The two movies currently leading the voting -- "Rudy" and "Clash of the Titans" -- I didn't see completely. I was prejudiced against Rudy not because of Notre Dame but because I've heard from two different media friends that the real-life Rudy was an arrogant jerk. I rented Clash, but for some reason, only watched the first half when I got interrupted and never got back to it. By the way, who won?

My favorite sports movie, and one of my favorites of any kind, is "Field of Dreams." With that movie, you either get it or you don't. You either find it dumb and corny or see it as baseball connecting a father and son.

"Bad News Bears" was extremely funny with Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal. No. 3 didn't even make the voting list. How can "Chariots of Fire", which won best picture in 1982, not be on there? Somebody 'splain that to me. It's a travesty, a sham, a mockery, a traveshamockery.

Rounding out my top five would be "Raging Bull and "Bull Durham." Honorable mention to "Brian's Song", which made me cry in junior high.

More than 1,100 have voted, which is more than most city elections will draw. And every movie has received at least one vote, even "Invinceable."

1 comment:

KF said...

I just can't believe this! To heck with "Rudy" and all the others.

I want to know where "Nacho Libre" rates in this so-called top sports movies of all time!

Could someone please answer this question?