The Wrestler Review

        I think everyone’s first exposure to wrestling is whenever WWE is on. Mind you, it is a sport but the actual wrestlers with personalities practically represent wrestling as a whole. There are movies where wrestlers are either action stars or comedic ones. With this one, this one is interesting from a sports movie standpoint. And the first Darren Aronofsky movie that I’ve talked about. So let’s get to it. 

1. Washed-Out

        So yeah, this is the first time that I’ve talked about a Darren Aronofsky film. My first exposure of him was during High School of all places. I want to say that the school was having a dance and to kill time for those who didn’t go, my teacher put on Aronofsky’s film debut Pi as the movie to watch. I think it was the first time where I watched a movie be so esoteric in terms of having it be psychologically driven. Someday I’ll rewatch Pi, but the first movie I sat through was his take on the story of Noah from the bible. 

        Anyways, The Wrestler is considered his best work from the perspective that it’s actor was in the same predicament thematically speaking. We follow Randy whose stage name is The Ram. When we see him, he’s getting ready for an amateur match at an elementary gym. What I think is probably a wise choice is that we see audio of his past matches with a wall of posters and magazine articles of who he’s fighting against. 

        We see him do small matches since he’s still a recognizable name from his past. After he suffers a heart attack, he’s informed that he has to retire. The moments when he’s outside the ring is almost tragic and endearing. We learn that he’s not making enough and moonlights in a local supermarket. My favorite aesthetic of when we follow Randy outside the ring is how it’s shot. Most of the time, it’s filmed like it’s a documentary. 

        With the occasional shaky camera like someone is holding and moving a camera instead of it being set. The illusion gives us a sort of pulled curtains approach of seeing Randy being a regular guy who just happens to wrestle. His personal life is interesting since he’s also trying to reestablish a strained relationship with his daughter. What I love is that the movie never goes to show his highs but shows just what he goes through and how he’s trying to adjust. 

        Might as well talk about how wrestling is in the movie. Part of it is grounded where, just like Raging Bull, the action is inside the ring instead of it being shown to the crowd. As well as having shots from outside the ring to the upper decks. The touches where Randy is slowly getting up or is trying to gain his composure. Hearing the wrestlers and even the referee ask The Ram if he’s ok is practically an emphasis on the movie’s end that everyone is generally worried about him. 

        One factor that makes his wrestling more interesting is the use of theatrics. Prior to his match, he puts in a small razor blade underneath the medical tape he uses. I honestly thought that he was going to injure a wrestler to win a match. No, my shortsightedness got the best of me. With all the matches staged, Randy uses the tiny blade to scar himself to make the hits he’s getting feel like its injuring him. 

        Aside from following Randy trying to recapture that stardom, we also follow his friend who’s an adult entertainer. We first see Cassidy getting harassed by her cliental, which prompts Randy to stand up for her. The moments when we see them together is bleak at best. Randy wants a companion, but with Cassidy she can’t date someone since it goes against her profession. I think the use of both characters is to show how far they’ve been at their careers. They’re not where they are and its mostly just how its representative of the inevitable. What I mean is that they’re washouts, the prime of their life is gone. 

        The one moment that practically signify this moment is when Randy’s agent has him do a meet and greet along with other fellow wrestlers. And it’s the most depressing thing to see, since there’s few fans that take a picture and we see just how the other wrestlers are dejected. Along with the merch that they have which included video cassettes. The level of uncomfortableness is deafening since we see Randy looking at the others and just for a moment realize where he’s at. 

2. Legacy

        The film was a critical darling, it appeared in multiple best films list of 2008. More so that both Mickey Rourke and Marissa Tomei were nominated at the Academy Awards. While they didn’t win, it further cemented just how great their performance were. While doing some more research, I was actually intrigued that Rourke got injured while filming. Additionally, how he gained respect to actual wrestlers doing their profession. Believing that it was all pre-choreographed and not taking into consideration that the real wrestlers train and put in so much time into their craft

3. Overall

        The Wrestler is probably the best sports film of the

early 2000s. 

Jerry Maguire Review

        This is an interesting one. Given how the movies we’ve seen show athletes from kids, players and Olympic athletes, I think I’ve reached full circle in terms of who the main character does. I would never think a movie about a sports agent would be an engaging one. For any professional athlete, they need an agent to help them get a wage and a job. Some casual sports fans aren’t aware of the inner machinations of it, but then again maybe even the die-hards. Jerry Maguire peels back the unknown layer of sports and shows it. 

1. Jerry

        This is the first movie that I’ve seen from director Cameron Crowe. He originally started as a screenwriter before directing. His made some hits that I’ve been trying to make time to watch like: Singles, Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky. Ultimately, I’ll get to them to see what they’re about. Anyways, let’s talk about the movie. 

        One last thing, the movie is loosely based on an actual sports agent named Leigh Steinberg whose client Tim McDonald was experiencing free agency at the time. So, we follow Jerry who’s an experienced agent with loads of clients from a variety of leagues. His main job is to make sure that the players are paid and have endorsement deals. While visiting an injured client, his son tells Jerry which makes him have an epiphany. 

        Jerry writes a manifesto that ultimately gets him fired but inspires a co-worker to join him. Meanwhile, Maguire’s client Rod Tidwell is trying to get his agent to negotiate a better contract. In one way, the film is a sports movie and a rom com. It’s a sports movie that shows the side of the game where there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiations. While obviously a movie, it shows just how agents lack the empathetic approach to athletes. 

        Maguire is the one where he develops into one when he tries to help his only client. The best moment is when both he and Rod are trying to figure out how to get the contract he deserves. It’s hilarious and very tense since there are moments when it can be like walking to a powder keg. Especially when Tidwell’s wife gets involved and we see the situation where Rod is coming from. 

        It’s a feat in of itself to have a movie be both two different genres’ while also not feel too conflicting. What I mean is that totally it’s set, there’s no whiplash of Jerry doing one thing and another that isn’t jarring. So, with the co-worker that joins Maguire, develops feelings towards him. Dorothy is the one co-worker who’s with Jerry when their business is just not working. The one scene that exemplifies this is when Maguire visits an upcoming Rookie. Not knowing that the rookie signed with a rival after having an relatable bond with the father. 

        To me, the movie is about the balance between having empathetic relationships and having transactional relationships. The movie does it well to show that Jerry is struggling with that. He’s so used to having relationships with players where it’s just business. Even his first relationship wasn’t anything of note. The breakup scene at the NFL draft is hilarious. The first scene when Jerry and Rod talk over the phone is the example of the movie. 

        As much as we see Jerry’s problems and how he navigates through it. We do see moments with Dorothy when she’s at an all-women’s meeting at her sister’s house. I think when we see the multiple problems they have with men in general, Dorothy tries to be different and has the benefit of the doubt of sticking with and eventually marrying Jerry. Her son is something else, the one moment when he talks to Maguire is heartfelt and apparently ad-libbed on the spot. 

2. “Show Me the Money”

        No surprise that the movie is chock-full of catchy phrases. I think when people here the phrases in any media or elsewhere, they have no idea that the phrases appeared in this movie first. My first experience when the line “You complete me” was uttered in The Dark Knight. It just shows how Cameron Crowe basically added a series of words for situations to come up. 

        The best one is in the beginning just after Jerry presents his mission statement to his company. When talking to Rod, it’s an example of a situation gradually building up. And it represents the movie. Basically, Jerry is stuck in a conversation with Tidwell and the agent notices his phone is slowly losing the players who’ve been on hold. The conversation is about Tidwell’s contract and how Jerry will help him. Culminating on the famous catchphrase. It’s the film’s best scene and represents the problem Jerry has going for him. 

3. Overall

        Jerry Maguire is one of those feel-good movies where you want to root for him. And see just how much goes to getting a player paid.

A League of Their Own Review

        The 90s is probably the only time where the sports genre has been experimental. What I mean is that, you had variety stemming through kid-centric sports movies like The Mighty Ducks trilogy and The Sandlot.  Additionally, basketball movies started to explode with He Got Game and White Men Can’t Jump. Hell, Space Jam is now considered a cult-classic due in part with how big Michael Jordan was from a pop-culture point of view.  I think out of all of the sports films of the decade, A League of Their Own is probably the one that’s The best one. 

1. No Crying

        Part of this movie is historical and the other is purely made for entertainment. The last part doesn’t derail the film at any point. I wasn’t aware that a lot of athletes playing professionally during World War 2 were drafted for combat. I’ve looked into it deeper and in the NFL, some teams temporarily merged due to teams having few players to be competitive. In the MLB, most of the ballplayers went into combat. 

        With that, we follow Dottie who goes to Cooperstown, NY to attend the Baseball Hall of Fame for her contributions to the game. Mostly shown via flashback, we see her and younger sister Kit get invited to play in a new women’s league. As well as following the newly assembled Rockford Peaches season being led by the drunkard manager Jimmy. That guy is something else, I’ll elaborate more on him in a moment. 

        To say that this film has a great assemblage of characters is one thing. None of them feel wasted and all of them have that endearing edge to them where they’re all likeable. For only appearing a few minutes, Don Lovitz’ character is hilarious. Obviously, he’s a comedian, but just how he’s quick and easily short-tempered. I love how he’s willing to leave our main characters when they scoff at him when he’s visiting their barn.

        The movie is true to its core an underdog story, but in some nuance way where it’s not by the numbers. You know like when they have a win streak and then suffer through the inevitable losing streak. What makes the movie work is that everyone’s got something to prove. It’s alluded to in the beginning, but I’ll talk about that in a moment. With the new league starting their inaugural season, some of the spectators scoff and mock most of the players. 

        It’s shown when the women must wear the uniforms that seem impractical for playing. This was back at the time when women got the wrong end of the stick sometimes, right down to wearing skirts while playing ball. There’s even a moment when one of the players slide into one of the bases and gets her thigh bruised badly. 

        While talking about the main theme of the movie, the characters practically represent the idea. None more so than Tom Hanks’ character. As I’ve said before, no actor had a massive string of successes than Tom Hanks. He gets top billing than his co-actors, which shows just how much of a draw he was at the time. 

        Watching him play the washed up player turned manager is a sight to see. At first he’s not invested, but within the season Dottie helps him at least give one iota of a care. The best scene involving him is the most memorable and quotable. Even funnier is that we don’t even see the ensuing play that gets him riled up. Just seeing him rip and shout at the young player is hilarious since he’s frustrated at the mess he’s in. My personal favorite moment is when he finally shuts up the player’s son. The only time we see a child disciplined the right way. 

        Lastly, as the movie gets going, we see that Kit is internally jealous at her older sister. So much so that the younger sister gets traded on the eve of the Championship series. I think some people are upset with the way the movie ended, specifically how Dottie let Kit finally have her moment. It was never about having a definite winner in Dottie’s point of view, but on the idea of finally breaking out. As I mentioned before that moment was teased when Older Dottie talks to her grandsons just before she takes off.

2. Legacy

        The movie was a hit, and I will definitely say that the film is one of the best sports movies of the 90s. It was unorthodox to have a movie be loosely based on a sporting event that happened. When films show a different side of history, those are the ones that I find fascinating since they add on to the history of sport. I wouldn’t have known they were the precursors to other Women’s professional leagues. As well as how Americans dealt with War and having something to keep their mind of it. 

        When it celebrated it’s 20th anniversary, most of the surviving players reunited in Cooperstown and a softball game was played. Little did I know that there were spinoffs that appeared on TV after the film was made. From what I gathered; a series of the same name only last for about five episodes aired on CBS. And just last year, Amazon released a reboot series of the same name, while it lasted longer than the former, it appears to only have 12 episodes as of now.  

3. Overall

        A League of Their Own is one of the best Sports films I’ve seen. There’s nothing more to elaborate.

Chariots of Fire Review

        When talking about Sports films, there’s usually some films that involve the Olympics. Combing through some of them, they mostly focus during the Summer Games, specifically Track and Field. I think the only good Winter Games film is with Disney’s Miracle, but we’re not talking about that one. I was surprised that this one won Best Picture, since it’s unorthodox with how it is as a sports film. So here’s what I think about Chariots of Fire. 

1. Period Piece

        I think people’s first exposure to this movie is that the intro has been parodied a lot. My first exposure of it was in the Xbox video game Kinect Sports. Then as I grew older it was during the final moments of National Lampoon’s Vacation. I never really understood why the music was when the Griswold’s were running with jubilation towards Wally World. I’ll go over the soundtrack choice since it’s one of the most significant aspects of the film. 

        Anyways, the film takes place just after World War 1. We follow two athletes from different corners of the United Kingdom. Harold arrives at Cambridge University but experiences antisemitism sentiments. In Scotland, Eric is a devoutly religious Christian who enjoys sprinting, much to the dismay from his family. So much so that his own sister pleads him to drop sprinting and go into missionary work. 

        The two cross paths and inevitably join the United Kingdom national team in the Summer Olympics. What I like about the film is that we really understand where the two athletes come from on a personal level. Eric is religious but is privately shamed since he puts his beliefs first, while Harold experiences coded hate. It’s one of those rare instances where it’s not an underdog story but seeing their talents trump any of the baggage they have. 

        One thing that is kind of surprising is that the film sort of operates as a faith film. Not as one where faith is used to find the correct belief system or having the power of God overcome any challenge. No, instead how this film operates is that it uses religion as a thing where it’s both a way of life and a misunderstanding. The two characters provide the split where one belief is right and the other is mocked. It boils down to this, which is are these gifted athletes bound to their beliefs or can they prove that they’re more than that.

        Overall, I love the attention to detail that was used to set the world in the 1920s. No shortcuts were taken with this one. It’s one of those things where they had to film either in the countryside or a part of London where it still doesn’t have the 80s aesthetic. Seeing the characters run with shoes that look like Sunday’s best shoes is fascinating. Especially when technology has advanced to a ridiculous degree to help any runner. 

2. The Soundtrack

        I know I’m stretching when I’m talking about the soundtrack of all things. To me, it sort of fits the movie since it’s nothing like a by the numbers sports movie. There’s no harmonic symphony when the runners are sprinting in the beach or when Harold and Abrahams are competing in the games. All of it is synth from former composer Vangelis. I can imagine people hearing this and just be in a mixture of being weirded out and fascinated when hearing the music. 

        It's not in the least but patriotic since it involves the Olympics, but it has that thing where it’s uplifting. That opening scene perfectly surmises that feeling of freedom when we see the group of runners sprinting in the coastline. Also, I think it’s subverting since it’s not time accurate in the least bit when we have a setting that has music that won’t be relevant 60 years in the movie’s time. It deserved to win Best Original Score, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Warner Brothers’ idea to have Vangelis also score Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Vangelis had a style that’s still imitated with other composers like Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Goransson.

3. Overall 

        Chariots of Fire is a different type of Sports film where there is no underdog. It’s one where the main athletes prove that their more than their religious beliefs. 

Raging Bull Review

        It’s no debate that whenever a boxing movie comes out, its comparison to Rocky is inevitable. How could a movie top a quintessential story about an underdog going through the limit of what’s unimaginable for him. During the 70s it really resonated with audiences and ultimately won Best Picture. In the early 80s, a sequel was already out but it wasn’t quite as good as the original. And you have the obligatory copy cat movies that tried to imitate Rocky but lacked the nuance. To me, I feel that Raging Bull is the antithesis of Rocky. Specifically, both films are equal in how they show the athlete and the pains of being a boxer. 

1. Jake LaMotta 

        This film is by no means an underdog story. Behind the scenes of the film is warranted with the context. From what I gathered, Robert De Niro had read about the boxer and had wanted Martin Scorsese to do an adaptation. At the time, Scorsese had directed his first flop, and was developing a drug habit when his movie was panned severely. Having nothing to lose and deciding to direct one last time in the States, he ultimately granted De Niro’s wishes and made the film. 

        With that, we follow the boxer who’s making a name for himself in his weight class. He’s a very ferocious fighter who hits and swings with intensity. Despite the first fight that we see, he loses. His brother Joey helps Jake be his manager and schedules fights. Jake aspires to be in the Heavyweight since he’s mostly good at the division he’s in. 

        As I said before, this isn’t an underdog story or an inspiring story. We get to see the personal side of the boxer that is the opposite of Rocky Balboa. Nothing is held back at the level of abuse and personal problems that have plagued Jake. I think it’s intentional since it subverts what the audience thinks about boxing films. One would think that we would see a humble guy box for a reason, you know, to prove doubters wrong. 

        Robert De Niro absolutely nails the performance down. With the movies I’ve seen so far with him, I think this comes close to my personal favorite. Just the way he acts when he’s with his brother and with his wife is interesting. Well, interesting in a way where we see a man who’s already accomplished slowly losing it. To me, it’s a radical approach to have a main character be like this, especially in a sports film. 

        I’ll elaborate more on his character in the next tab, but I want to say that he can sell being easily short-fused. The moments when he starts to be paranoid and to abuse his brother is something that is unsettling. It’s the psyche that is at play since he doesn’t trust his wife and assumes that she’s cheating on him. Just seeing Jake slap his brother and even confront him later in his own house is played so straight where you believe the actual boxer was like that. 

        I might as well talk about the boxing scenes, which in total last a good 10 minutes. Aside from that, this is one of the first instances where the fight is shot inside the ring, while others are shot in a vantage point. Sort of mirroring a pay per view broadcast. This is probably the most violent that I’ve seen a boxing movie so far. One tidbit that I like in a stylistic manner is that the matches that we see, the boxing ring seems bigger than what we would expect. Especially in the penultimate fight between LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson. 

2. Sports Tragedy

        I think this is one of those rare moments in any sports movie to ever have the main subject slowly fall from grace. As far as I know, sports films tend to be formulaic with how it goes plot wise. Not as a detriment but have that element where the audience roots for the character or see a team reach the top and either win or lose. I think winning isn’t so much the main idea, but to gain the validation of making it to the championship where it seemed impossible. 

        With this movie, it’s something to behold since we have a movie that doesn’t follow none of that whatsoever. I think with him wanting to be a heavyweight was the main framing idea, but it immediately gets switched when we see the insecurity plague LaMotta as he turns on the only support that he has. To me its like watching a person self-destruct and you wish that he would inevitably turn around. 

        I think the ending is such a sad way to see the boxer at his lowest point. I don’t want to give too much away, but when he tries to pawn the jewelry from his title belt, is just frustrating and sad to what he has become. I think Scorsese had the right idea to show that the athlete wasn’t the typical humble guy or a nobody. We see a man who’s own brute force couldn’t help but destroy his own life. 

3. Overall

        Raging Bull is at the top of Martin Scorsese’s best film. It’s tough to rank them since he has an illustrious career, but I think this is my second favorite.