Movies In The Rockies Top 10 Sports Movies

Movies In The Rockies is starting a new theme that we hope you all enjoy. Like many movie blogs, we have put our illustrious panel (me) to the test and have come up with a Top Ten list based on genre. For our first list we will be looking at Sports Movies. How could we not start with this genre as it combines two to the greatest pasttimes; Movies and Sports!!

You may agree or disagree with the order of this list, but this list is solid! The movies on this list actually beat out some greats. For example, only the original Rocky made the cut, II, III, and IV were knocked out. The Blind Side had a tough time keep this top movies from blitzing to the top. If I hadn't seen Caddyshack in the past couple of months it would have been on the list but unfortunately I did. It sliced!!

So, through a very arduous process that included intricate tools like Excel and IMDB; the panel of one looked back at movies that were funny, had a message, or moved us. Sports fans, movie fans.... Enjoy.

10. Million Dollar Baby:
Generally, the best sports movies are ones that leave the viewer with a sense of encouragement, an I can do it mentality. Million Dollar Baby does not do that. Granted we see a fighter work her way (yes I said her) to the top of the boxing world, but the crash is so devistating there was not a dry eye in the theatre. This movie was directed by Clint Eastwood. He starred in the movie as well with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. The movie won 4 Oscars (Best Director, Picture, Supporting Actor and Actress in a Leading Role). You may not feel inspired to go join your local boxing club after this movie, but this is a must see.

9. Blue Chips:
OK, so I'm a basketball junkie. How could I leave this movie off of the list when one of the main characters was based on me. He was even named after me, Ricky Roe. Many people may not know that Ricky is my legal first name. But it doesn't stop there, this kid is the one white player in the film with three point shooting expertice(The picture is Ricky Roe being recruited by Coach Bell, played by Nick Nolte). If this story isn't based on me I don't know what is. The movie stars Nick Nolte as the coach that recruits (or buys) characters played by Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, and Matt Nover (Ricky Roe). When the coach finally looks in the mirror and sees what he has become he doesn't like what he sees.

8. The Rookie:
Another personal story on this one. I was so inspired by this true story that at 35 years old I laced up my high tops and went to an open tryout for the Denver Nuggets. I actually scored 12 points in the live scrimmage before they cut me! For anyone who has put their dreams on hold or is a late bloomer this is a must see story of a 38 year old high school baseball coach that actually tries out and makes a major league baseball team. A great story with Dennis Quaid playing the lead role as major league pitcher, Jimmy Morris.

7. The Sandlot:
The only thing better than a grown man getting to play a game for a living is seeing little kids playing sports. The Sandlot is the story of a group of rag tag kids that meet everyday to play base ball in the local sandlot. We get to see their antics on the field against the local baseball team, dabbling in chewing tobacco at the 4th of July carnival and their daily quest for their next baseball so they can keep playing. This movie will take every grown up back to their childhood.

6. Remember The Titans:
"Let them remember the day they played the Titans". When I heard this line in the Remember The Titans trailer I was hooked. Another mostly true story, Remember The Titans, is a movie about overcoming obstacles while dealing with the race relations in Virginia during the early 1970s. Toward the end of the movie when Julius addresses the coaches and players during halftime of the state championship game, he states, "Now I'm not perfect, but up until now this team is perfect. If it's all the same to you I'd like to keep it that way." I nearly stood up in the theatre cheering.

5. Rocky:
Many people might not realize that Sylvestor Stallone not only starred in this Academy Award winning movie, but he actually wrote the script as well (and was nominated for best original screenplay). Looking back at some of the lines makes it easier to believe that the slow talking Stallone wrote them. For example, trainer Mickey telling Rocky "You're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder!" Who else but Stallone could have pulled that one off. Anyway, no best sports movie list is complete without this underdog story. It's a classic!

4. Rudy:
Anyone who has been told they couldn't do something and it pissed you off, needs to see this movie. Rudy is a "5 foot Nothin' a hundred and Nothin'" kid that has average grades but still wants to attend Notre Dame University AND play football. Well no one thinks he can do it except for him. Rudy defies all odds an is the only person in the history of Notre Dame to be carried off the field by his teammates. I don't even know Rudy and I am proud of him!!

3. Cinderella Man:
There are very few movie scenes that I have seen more than Jim Braddock's first comeback fight scene in Cinderella Man. In my opinion this is one of the most underrated sports movies ever made. The boxing choreography was great (helped along by legendary boxing trainer Angelo Dundee). The riches to rags to riches story was told in an extremely heart warming way. We actually see Jim Braddock's kids taken to other family members because their can't afford to take care of them. The acting was great, starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger and the scene stealing Paul Giamatti. If this movie had come out 3 years later, after the economy crashed in late 2008, I think this would have been a top Oscar winner.

2. Field Of Dreams:
Some people would give anything to get one more chance to have coffee with a lost loved one again. They would pay millions to get the opportunity to give that one last hug or kiss. In Field Of Dreams, Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner), gets that chance. Although he doesn't know what he is getting himself into by following the spectoral voice in his cornfield telling him "If you build it he will come", he builds IT and HE does come. When he actually ends the movie with the one last catch with his dad, I am not too proud to say I was choked up to say the least.

1. Hoosiers:
This may not only be the greatest sports movie of all time, I have it as one of the top movies of all genres of all time. Even in sports circles, many non-basketball junkies agree with me on this one. When the Hickory HS team, with only 8 players on their roster, play South Bend for the state championship it is obvious that the Hickory players are overwhelmed. Coach Norman Dale (played by Gene Hackman) measures the dimensions of the court and says "I think you will find these have the same measurements as our gym back home." This settles the team down a little so they can go to work. One great fact about the movie is that all of the actors that played the Hickory team played college basketball except one. That one is the star of the team, Jimmy Chitwood (played by Maris Valainis). The scene stealer in this movie was Dennis Hopper who played the town drunk and assistant coach. He was honored with an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his work. Don't walk, RUN to see this movie. You will love it!!

Another Earth (2011) Review

Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:


Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.


Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.


Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.


Montane = The movie has legs and lungs.


14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.

The problem with independent film is that if you want to see it on the big screen you may have to drive a little ways to do so. After making the long awaited move from Colorado Springs to Denver, I had to go back to Colorado Springs to check out the indie film Another Earth, directed and co-written by Mike Cahill. The movie starred a brilliant young talent, Brit Marling (she also wrote the script with Cahill). I first heard of Another Earth after reading a recap of this year's Sundance Film festival. Although the film entered Sundance with very little fan fare, it came out as one of the top films.

The movie is a mix between science fiction, tragedy and drama. The best part of the science fiction is that it focuses on the story rather than special effects or non-human creatures. It is also done with a very modest budget, which always holds a special place for me. Another Earth tells the story of Rhoda, played by Marling, who causes a terrible tragedy that straps her with a criminal past and strangles her with unbelievable guilt. At the same time, scientists have found what seems to be another planet which turns out to be another Earth. The idea is that there is a whole parallel planet with not only another Earth but another you, me and everybody. Rhoda sees this as her way to start again so she signs up for a chance to visit the 2nd Earth. The trip to 2nd Earth though turns out to have complications when Rhoda visit's one of the victims of her tragedy and a relationship ensues.

The concepts of Another Earth were complex and in a 90 minute film left the viewer with a few holes that were left open. That being said, the mirror of our world and all of the people in it was a brilliant way to dig into the emotions that are involved with retribution, love and loss. The story of the 2nd Earth was told in a variety of TV broadcasts in people's homes, radio stations in the work place or news paper articles that people read in the course of their day to day lives.

I do predict that some people will see this movie and not find it as strong as I do. This does not mean that you won't get it or that you don't understand the concepts. It just means that you may not appreciate the telling of a story with the backdrop of a concept that hasn't been realized yet. An example would be one of my favorite films, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. The whole idea of a medical procedure to erase specific parts of one's memory was hard for some to go along with. Similarly, there is no 2nd Earth (that we know of) and telling a story as if there is one might be hard for some to get past.

That being the case Another Earth earns a 14er Movie In The Rockies rating. The story was brilliantly written, directed and acted. I am excited to watch Brit Marling, who is currently 27 years old, turn into a top shelf performer in Hollywood. Just a few years ago Marling was working on Wall Street after graduating from Georgetown. She took a leave of absence to write the documentary Boxers and Ballerinas (2004) and her film bug took hold. Now she is involved with no less than 4 films that are either in production or pre-production at the time of this blog.

I would like to say go see this film in your local theatre but unless you are in Colorado Springs you may have to drive a ways to get there. I'm not sure when we will be able to access Another Earth on DVD but I suggest you keep your eyes peeled and see this movie.

The Help (2011) Review

Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:


Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.


Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.


Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.


Montane = The movie has legs & lungs.


14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.

I'm back.

Not only am I back to the blog, but after leaving Denver 24 years ago, my lovely wife Kellie and I have made the move back to our home town. I am hoping that this gives me additional time to commit to writing a little more. The days of the 90 minute commute each way are over for me so look out. Now, time to get to the review.

After about 3 weeks of not seeing a single movie, my wife and youngest daughter took me to the The Help (written for the screen and directed by Tate Taylor). Both of them had read the novel written by Kathryn Stockett and were excited to see the movie. I have to admit, the cast was so strong I figured we couldn't miss with this one. Really, look at this cast... Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland), Viola Davis (Doubt), Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life), Allison Janney (American Beauty, Away We Go), Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner's Daughter, Crimes of the Heart), and Cicely Tyson (Roots, Fried Green Tomatoes). Notice not a single man was listed in this list of cast members. Yes, there were men in the movie but this was not a story about men. This was a story about women. This was a story about social class. This was a story about race.

Skeeter, played by Emma Stone, is a writer for the local newspaper and a member of the southern white upper class society. Skeeter has spent her whole life living in the south and seeing black women take care of the white families in every way imaginable. When she returns from college and starts to write a column about home making tips and techniques, she illicits help from one of the local maids named Aibilene, played by Viola Davis. Skeeter actually starts to see her community in a different way.

Unfair, unequal, unbelievable. Skeeter is appalled at the attitude of her "Southern Society Girl" friends. The tipping point is when her friend Hilly, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, proposes a bill to the state legislature to demand separate bathrooms in homes for the "Colored" maids. Skeeter is so moved, she decides to write a collection of stories from the point of view of the maids. Skeeter recruits Aibilene and then her best friend Millie. They start to tell stories both heart warming and appalling. Many of which would be extremely embarassing to Skeeter's own friends. This does not deter her. After she gets some great feedback from a publisher in New York City she recruits more maids and the book is on it's way.

That's when all hell breaks loose. Skeeter's book is published with names being changed to protect the innocent...and guilty! The "Society Girls" are aghast that the lurid stories of their lives have been told. They all know that the book is about them but won't admit it in front of others. So who pays in the long run? Well folks, this movie was a period piece based on the 1960's Southern US. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. The question that still needs to be answered is, was it all worth it? That's impossible for this white, middle class, male to answer. You will have to see the movie for yourselves.

Although I can't answer the questions about racial equality and the inequality that my female friends face even today, I can review this film. This cast was put together masterfully. Emma Stone is an up and coming actress who may have hit her stride in this film. She really captured the struggle between being a "Society Girl" and the reality of racial inequality. I can see Stone with a nomination for one of the major motion picture rewards coming at the end of this year. Another nomination will almost certainly go to Viola Davis. You may all remember her in Doubt playing along side Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. I believe she was on the screen for less than 10 minutes in the entire film but the time she spent on screen formed that film. Take a look:
http://www.soliloblog.com/blog/reviews/viola-davis-as-mrs-miller-in-doubt-2008/
Anyway, Ms. Davis is one the best actresses working right now and she does no less than spectacular in The Help. These two high lights in no way should down play the performances of the other actresses. I do think any awards that this film will garner will go to Emma Stone or Viola Davis though.

A cast can't be the only thing that carries a film though. This film was heart warming, funny, and down right important, but it lacked the punch to make it a front runner during the award season. The Help earns a Movies in the Rockies rating of Montane. I would recommend seeing this movie. You will laugh. You may cry. You will get angry. You will be inspired. If you want a good movie, you will find it with The Help.