Greatest Sports Movies: Elimination poll #4 (multiple-choice poll)

[JasonEvans]

As always, you can vote for as many of these movies as you want. Though there are not many deserving films in this poll, if you ask me.

--Jason "lets get to 50 votes quickly and move on to poll #5, ok?" Evans

[JasonEvans]

I went for Bad News Bears (the only no-brainer from this group, IMO), Cinderella Man, and Vision Quest (if only because "Lunatic Fringe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9852hq0W0)" is one of the great songs of the 80s).

--Jason "now that I think about it, I love Vision Quest!!" Evans

[riverside6]

I went with BNB, Days of Thunder, and Cinderella Man.

I really don't know if I like Days of Thunder that much, but I always remember that scene where Cole Trickle talks about the finer aspects of drafting.

[mph]

BNB and Ciderella Man were easy choices for me. I tossed in Days of Thunder in a close call.

[DevilAlumna]

"Without Limits" was the much better movie about Steve Prefontaine. Billy Crudup just looked like a runner, and I always like Donald Sutherland in his now-typecast role of the crusty but wise old fart. I wonder what it was about this subject matter that spawned two movies in less than a year.....

[JasonEvans]

The utter mediocrity of everything (except BNBears) on this list has turned this into an interesting race.

--Jason "shameless BTTT" Evans

[Indoor66]

"Without Limits" was the much better movie about Steve Prefontaine. Billy Crudup just looked like a runner, and I always like Donald Sutherland in his now-typecast role of the crusty but wise old fart. I wonder what it was about this subject matter that spawned two movies in less than a year.....

Must have been the Oregon scenery... :)

[Bob Green]

Vision Quest is the clear choice from this group.

[YmoBeThere]

Looks like the Bad News Bears are through, everything else is still up for grabs. (I have a firm grasp on the obvious don't I?)

[JBDuke]

The utter mediocrity of everything (except BNBears) on this list has turned this into an interesting race.

--Jason "shameless BTTT" Evans

Cynic!

IMO, the two great films in this group are "Cinderella Man" and "National Velvet". I also voted for "The Bad News Bears" as a classic sports comedy (like "Slap Shot"), but it's not a great movie in the same vein as the first two.

If you haven't seen "Cinderella Man", it's a great, uplifting story - sort of the human version of "Seabiscuit". Great acting, wonderful cinematography, compelling story - a complete movie.

"National Velvet" is Elizabeth Taylor's coming out party - even though she was only 12 when it was released. She's in almost every scene, and this little girl just OWNS this movie. Steals it right away from veteran Mickey Rooney, who was supposed to be the star. And from an outside observer's POV, it seems to capture that obsessive love that girls can have for horses better than any film I've seen. It's a little bit of a stretch to call it a sports movie, IMO, but if we're including it, I'm voting for it, and the Grand National race at the end is a total tearjerker.

"Vision Quest" was a close one for me, but I just couldn't consider it a classic.

"Ali" was another one I considered, but, again, it just never really captured the magic for me. Will Smith's performance was notable, though.

I agree with the poster that preferred "Without Limits" to "Prefontaine", and I told Jason so back in the original thread, but he chose to ignore me and keep this one while not including the other. :P Neither would have garnered my vote, however.

"Wimbledon", "The Stratton Story", and "The Cincinnati Kid" are all just decent pics - nothing particular notable to make them stand out.

And the less said about "The Air Up There", "Days of Thunder" and whichever version of "Angels in the Outfield" (1951 or 1994 - they both stunk) is on the list, the better.

[dukemomLA]

Original BNB's is the only no-brainer. I also included National Velvet (even though I don't really consider it a 'sports movie')....but for all you young'uns out there who haven't seen it. You should.

[micah75]

Movies I haven't seen, but which are getting lots of votes:

Miracle - from Poll #1
Seabiscuit - from Poll #3
Cinderella Man - from Poll #4

I've been meaning to rent Miracle, but for whatever reason, haven't gotten around to it. Will try to watch the other two as well, noting their popularity with the Duke fan base.

Seeing as how the horse movies are faring quite well, it will be interesting to see how the other 2 do: Black Stallion and Hidalgo, both of which I've seen. I really Liked Stallion a lot when it came out, and saw it twice. But haven't seen it since, so I have no idea how it has aged through time, 28 years later.

[JasonEvans]

Random comments from what others have said in this thread...

Hidalgo mostly sucks. Don't bother.

National Velvet is a very good movie, but it just was not my taste. I saw it a long time ago and I might enjoy it more today.

Cinderella Man and Ali are somewhat similar movies to me. I appreciated what I was seeing on the screen more than I enjoyed what I was watching. I am not sure if that makes sense, but in both movies I felt the acting was great, the directing quite good, and the story is (of course compelling) but I never really loved the experience of watching them. I have a hard time putting a finger on why I feel this way. I liked Cinderella Man more than Ali but both of them were just missing some little piece of magic. It is almost like I knew I was supposed to like them more than I did.

As time goes on, I regret not voting for The Cincinatti Kid. I know it will not get enough votes to move on, but I really love that movie. I first saw it years ago and I think it is almost certainly the best poker movie ever made. The cast is un-freaking-believable. Steve McQueen, Edward G Robinson, Karl Maulden, Cab Calloway, Rip Torn, Tuesday Weld, Jack Weston, and Ann Margret. It is s small film, mostly just focussing on one game of poker, but soooo much happens around that one game. If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor and put it in your Netflix cue right away.

I could not be more bummed that more people are not voting for Vision Quest. Here is the final fight scene (http://youtube.com/watch?v=OmpGyT-FTws)... the wrestling is so real and beautifully choreographed/shot. I really like that film and am bummed more of you have not voted for it.

-Jason "You're beating the Shute!" Evans

[The Gordog]

Poker is not a sport.
1. There is no physical skill involved.
2. Significant events are determined by luck. I mean imagine if every week all the point guards in the ACC were put into a hat and shuffled around the league. That's poker: Not A Sport.

[JasonEvans]

I'm gonna close this one in about an hour or two... it is still super close so if you have not voted, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th are still up for grabs.

--Jason "everyone but Bob Green, mkirsh, ohioguy2, sue71, and toughbuff1 sucks for not voting for Vision Quest!!" Evans

[riverside6]

Um, Earljam, The Air Up There? Really?

[JasonEvans]

Um, Earljam, The Air Up There? Really?

One of the players in the AndOne Mixtape league is known as "The Air Up There."

http://www.and1.de/img/and1_/News/news_air-up-there_14.07.200.jpg

--Jason "FWIW, I have a sopft spot in my heart for that movie... even if it does suck" Evans

[JasonEvans]

This poll is now closed.

Bears, Cinderella, Velvet, and Thunder are moving on. Ali is in pretty decent shape to make it to the next round as a wild card.

--Jason "poll #5 coming soon!" Evans