On Super Bowl Sunday, I thought it would be fun to list what I consider to be the top football themed movies. Football movies have been around almost as long as the sport itself. Modern American football is derived from the English sport of rugby. Starting around 1900, rugby rule changes conceived by Walter Camp, who is considered to be the "Father of American Football", were instituted and the new game began to be played on college campuses. The first professional game was played in 1920 and went on to become the great spectator sport we know today. Here are my favorites:
Horse Feathers (1932) - The Marx Brothers, Nuff said.
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| Chico, Groucho, Harpo Huddle in Horse Feathers |
Knute Rochne All American (1940) - Tells story of Knute Rochne, an All American player at Notre Dame. Ronald Reagan got his nickname "The Gipper" from playing the role of George Gibb in this film.
Paper Lion (1968) - Alan Alda stars as George Plimpton, the author. The story follows the novel Plimpton wrote about his attempt to become a professional football player, to no avail.
Brian's Song (1971) - True story of close relationship between two Chicago Bears teammates, one of which is dying of cancer.
Rudy (1993) - Where perseverance and over-achievement triumphs over all odds. The first movie allowed to be shot on the Notre Dame campus since the Rochne story. Tear-jerker with happy ending.
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| Sean Astin played 'Rudy' #45 in movie |
Any Given Sunday (1999) - Oliver Stone delves into the real-life perils of playing pro-football with this riveting fictional story. Stars Al Pacino as coach with a heart and Cameron Diaz (who would have thunk it) as the heartless and manipulative team owner.
Remember The Titans (2000) - Football is used as the vehicle to confront racial integration, as a high school team struggles with white and black relations, as due the coaches and parents/fans.
Friday Night Lights (2004) - Another depiction of high school players confronting game related issues. This time, as they deal with defeat and the fact that their glory days as high school stars will be ending for many of them.
BAD MOVIE BEHAVIOR TO THE MAX
Many moviegoers believe that bad behavior in cinemas has reached a new low. Talking and texting on cell phones are the worst offensives, but other behavior trends are catching up.
Recently a moviegoer in London was seen using her smart phone with an app that turned her phone into a mirror. She then proceeded to use her fellow moviegoer's phone as a flashlight to "do" her makeup. Other common and very offensive cinema behavior includes:
-Slurping drinks, rustling and foraging for 'whatever'.
-Arriving late for the presentation causing annoyance for other patrons.
-Putting feet on seats or seat backs.
- Irresponsible parenting, ie. using the cinema as a babysitter as one watches an 'R' rated movie.
The vast majority of moviegoers are courteous and aware of proper cinema etiquette, and practice it. But like many other things in life there is always the jerk to deal with.
BEST OSCAR SONG NOMINATION DISQUALIFIED
The song 'Alone Yet Not Alone' was disqualified from the Oscars, as the Academy revoked its nomination for Best Original Song. The song's writer, Bruce Broughton, himself an Academy official, violated the rules and emailed voters requesting consideration of the song for a Best nomination. Broughton, a former Academy governor and current executive committee member of the music branch, composed the song for the movie of the same name (the film generated very little box office draw).
Commenting on its decision, the Academy released a statement saying, "using one's position as a former governor and current committee member to promote one's Oscar submission creates the appearance of an unfair advantage." Broughton said he "was devastated by the decision".
Original songs, to be nominated, are voted for by the 240 members of the music branch of the Academy, who are sent DVDs of the songs with the film and song title only. The voters are not given the name of the composer or lyricist and are required to vote for no more than five nominees.
A HOLLYWOOD INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE
Many of you have probably never heard of James Schamus, but he has been a Hollywood mover and shaker for over 25 years. His most recent post as head hancho at Focus Pictures & Entertainment - he now hangs his hat in NYC. At 54, Schamus describes working in Hollywood "as ego-crushing. It's a gigantic ass-kicking to the soul. That said, I love the challenge of Hollywood, there's nothing like it."
Although you may not of heard of Schamus, you have seen his produced movies, which include: 'Lost in Translation', 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Burn After Reading', 'The Pianist, "The Constant Gardener'. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', and 'The Hulk' - just to name several.
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| With James Franco, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin |
Being outspoken about the industry has been one of Schamus's trademarks. On the Oscars he says, "Hollywood, basically - what's the polite word for shitting? Defecates hundreds of millions of dollars, all so that everyone can chase after the little blue ribbon. The economics are insane. If you do the math, very few films get what's known as the Oscar bump." And doing the math is what Schamus likes best. He is a "marketing" man, who enjoys playing in the world of movie markets. "The key to making money is in niche demographics - and in this context, niche can mean whole continents outside America. You can take the data and throw up a map of the world and see where, for example, family movies are big: northern Europe, action film: Middle East and Asia, Sci-Fi: Russia."
"I'm an eternal pessimist", he says, "Only a handful of movies break the $30-40 million in profit mark each year. So, you'd better plan on getting your ass kicked pretty regularly in this business."
Thanks for the chat James.
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