One of my Christmas gifts this past year was a book called "The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies" by a couple of Philly area sportswriters, Ray Didinger and Glen Macnow. If you like sports, and if you like movies, the book is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.
(Aside to Bill Montrose (and others): this is the kind of book that would not lend itself to a Kindle. It is a big book, lots of pictures; it is the kind of book that you can just pick up and open to any spot and read and enjoy.)
The authors rate the "100 greatest sports films of all time." By nature, their list is very subjective, and subject to argument and disagreement, which is what makes it such a fun book.
They include a lot of interesting sidebar articles like "Worst Sports Sequels and Remakes" (Caddyshack II, The Longest Yard, and several of the Rocky sequels); "Actors as Athletes" (Good - Kevin Costner, Burt Reynolds. Bad - Tony Perkins, William Bendix); "Athletes Who Could Act" (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Brown, Woody Strode); "Athletes Who Could Not Act" (Dennis Rodman, Joe Namath, O.J. Simpson). Lots of good stuff like this.
You probably want to know what rates with the authors. Herewith, their Top Ten:
1. Rocky
2. Hoosiers
3. Raging Bull
4. The Natural
5. Bull Durham
6. Slap Shot
7. The Longest Yard (1974 version)
8. The Hustler
9. Caddyshack
10. North Dallas Forty
Myself, I might put Hoosiers ahead of Rocky, but I can't argue the case against Rocky as #1 too strongly. I would put Bull Durham, Field of Dreams (#11), Pride of the Yankees (#13), and Eight Men Out (#41) ahead of The Natural in terms of baseball movies only. I'm delighted to see Caddyshack in the Top Ten. I am also prompted to rent Slap Shot, and North Dallas Forty, which I have never seen, to see if they deserve their ranking.
Concerning Pride of the Yankees, it's old, it's black & white, and the producers made the movie emphasizing the love story rather than the baseball story, but if you can watch that without a tear in the eye or a lump in the throat, I'm not sure I want to know you.
Do you agree with the authors? Do you agree with The Grandstander? Whether you do or you don't, that's what makes this such a fun topic and fun book. I expect that their will be several comments on this topic.
Something is nagging at me, neither "Seabiscuit" nor "Let it Ride" made your list.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen four or five of the top ten, so I can't be much of a critic of the list.
How did Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger miss the "good" list?
Finally, what is Bill Evans' picture depicting?
Both Seabiscuit and Major League made the authors' Top 100. You could say that Major League is "juuuusssssttttt a bit outside" oif the top ten.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Let It Ride, nor do I have any idea what Bill E's picture is.
Finally, please don't tell me that you've never seen Caddyshack?
NEVER seen: Raging Bull (did hear a line from movie quoteed in "Waiting for Guffman"), Slap Shot, Hustler, North Dallas - BrokeBack - Forty.
ReplyDeleteSeen in pieces - never front to back - Rocky, Caddyshack.
Obviously, I've seen the other four.
I have heard it argued that Field of Dreams was more a father-son than a baseball movie. But would have placed it higher.
Taking that logic, Caddyshack was a straight out comedy that used golf, not a golf-as-sport movie.
Technically, I did not nominate Major League, just a serious actor nomination for Beringer.
Look at the representation of various sports:
Boxing - 2
Baseball - 2
Football - 2
Basketball - 1
Hockey - 1
Golf - 1
Pool - 1
That says enough.
Bill Evans: Are you also Vic Evans? and what is that picture?
Lots of choices here. Some personal favorites, in no particular order.
ReplyDeleteFIELD OF DREAMS and THE NATURAL -- Anytime you can add some of the fantasy genre to a baseball flick and throw in James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster (Field) and Glenn Close (Natural) you've got a winner.
EIGHT MEN OUT -- Say it ain't so, Joe.
61* -- Good account of the M&M boys in that historical season.
BULL DURHAM -- some great quotes came out of this movie.
ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (1951) -- It's Forbes Field and the Pirates.
THE SANDLOT -- Thought of as a kids movie, but the ending showing Smalls and Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez as adults was cool. An underrated entry.
SEABISCUIT - Agree with Bill. A good story.
HOOSIERS -- Jimmy Chitwood calmly saying... "I'll make it."
BAD NEWS BEARS -- Tatum O'Neal's movie pinacle.... at the age of 13.
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY -- Just for the Pacino Locker Room Speach.
WE ARE MARSHALL -- I somehow feel that I have a personal "Investment" in this one, if you know what I mean!
And a selection from "Deuce"....
AIR BUD, GOLDEN RECEIVER.
Good Topic Grandstander.... I'm not sure why your family members have the need to "kick you around"!!!!! :)
BRIAN'S SONG---shame on all of you for missing a classic! I was with brother Jim & Nancy, and we watched on a cold winter night in Parsippany(?), his first apartment in NJ. Not a dry eye in the room! (Incidentally, the original, James Caan version.)
ReplyDeleteI didn't see RUDY mentioned--
Athletes w/ questionable acting skills....think all you Central alumni...Dan Marino in ACE VENTURA, PET DETECTIVE (original, not sequel)
Hi Bob -
ReplyDeleteI've been waiting for this post.
Favorites of mine (in no particular order):
Miracle (Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks)
21 Days (not a movie but a documentary of the Rockies Run for the Pennant in 2007)
Rudy
Blindside (I saw this recently and just loved it)
Bull Durham
Remember the Titans (Denzel Washington)
Mystery, Alaska
The Natural
I haven't seen 'We Are Marshall' yet but I bet that'd be one I'd like.
In the pictures of your followers, please note the family resembalance between Susan, Jim and myself!
ReplyDeletePerhaps not THE best sports moovies, but on a female slant, something missing here, Jerry Maguire, The Champ, sniff-sniff, oh, and how about legit good movies, Million Dollar Baby and a young, GREAT, Kevin Costner in American Flyers
I forgot Field of Dreams.
ReplyDeleteMany of the movies mentioned by the posters are in the Top 100 in the "Ultimate Book of Sports Movies." Dan Marino was also listed as an Athlete Who Couldn't Act.
ReplyDelete"Blind Side" was released after the book was done.
COMING SOON.... (well, not REAL soon, but...)
ReplyDeleteCurrently in Pre-Prodution, expected release date is 2011.
"MONEYBALL" from the Michael Lewis book of the same name. Female fans will be happy to know that none other than BRAD PITT will play the lead character of Oakland A's GM BILLY BEANE.
Pitt and Matt Damon also own the movie rights to the Fritz Peterson - Mike Kekich story of the Yankees pitchers who conducted a real life wife and family swap while Yankees teammates in 1973.