24 October 2013

Champions (1992)


The appeal of sports movies baffles me.  I don't say that because I don't like them, I say that because it seems that I do like them.  I don't actively go out and watch sports matches, but somehow, there is something about sports movies (ones from the 1990s in particular) that can really get me caught up in the film.  There's obvious things like wanting the team/player (aka the good guy) to win, and the battle to win is usually very blatantly played out in the championship game or whatever it is that serves as the climax to the film, and the pay off of the good guy winning is satisfied with the definite acknowledgement of a trophy/medal/glory/valuable moral lesson/whatever.

But why do I, someone who doesn't remotely care about actual sports games when they're on TV, care?  Good writing and acting is always a contributing factor, but the subject matter is rather removed from my interests.  Perhaps I'll have this figured out by the time I watch Remember The Titans.


Recently, I watched the series "Fringe" in its entirety, which stars Joshua Jackson as a mostly concerned and problem solving character.  So watching Champions was partly fascinating just to be reminded of just how damn charming he is as an actor.  No wonder he was cast.  As a child actor, he was pretty great and, cheesy as it is, he gives the film heart.

Final Thought: I don't understand why they thought this film couldn't be called The Mighty Ducks in the UK and Australia...

Up Next: Charade (1963)

06 October 2013

Center Stage (2000)



 In the year 2000, Center Stage and Coyote Ugly were both released cinematically, and though neither were brilliant films, they captured the attention of my circle of friends.  We saw each of these movies at the cinema multiple times.  I couldn't even tell you why, to be honest, but we just kept going back.

 Center Stage, while showcasing some rather unimpressive acting, is admirable for casting actual dancers.  My two major peeves in cinema are musical instruments being played with blatantly wrong technique (see August Rush) and terrible dancing being portrayed as great dancing (see The Artist).  So in this instance, I am more than willing to forgive bad acting for the sake of seeing ballet danced properly.

Final Thought: Despite the multiple times I have seen this film, my memory of it pales in comparison to The Seamstress.  She can quote this word for word.

Up Next:  Champions (1992)