cinemadiso's - Best Sport Themed Films Vol. 2 List
-
"If you build it, he will come!' With these words, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife Annie (Amy Madigan), Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true. Along the way he meets reclusive activist Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), the mysterious "Doc" Graham (Burt Lancaster) and even the legendary "Shoeless Joe" Jackson (Ray Liotta). - Director:
- Phil Alden Robinson
- Cast:
- Kevin Costner, Ed Harris, James Earl Jones
- Formats:
-
-
Charged with the electric crackle of first love, this sweet and sexy California romance is about a confused young artist torn between his family and his future. Fresh out of high school, Zach (Trevor Wright) gives up a full scholarship to spare his 5-year-old nephew from their dysfunctional family. Now restless and isolated, the gifted youth toils at a local diner. But everything changes when he finds himself drawn to thirty-something Shaun (Brad Rowe), a confident young writer. As the two hit the surf and Shaun's mattress with equal enthusiasm, they fall into a relationship that gives Zach the courage he needs to follow his passions. - Director:
- Jonah Markowitz
- Cast:
- Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, Tina Holmes
- Formats:
-
-
Tommy (Peter Lawford) is Tait College's quarterback and the biggest heartthrob on campus; unfortunately, his preoccupations with football and girls leave little time for studying. With an important game on the horizon, Tommy flunks a test. The college refuses to let Tommy play unless he retakes the test and gets a decent grade. Bookish student Connie (June Allyson) is enlisted to help; when they begin to hit it off, another seductive Tait coed grows jealous and decides to butt in. - Director:
- Charles Walters
- Cast:
- June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Patricia Marshall
- Formats:
-
-
Academy Award-Winner Humphrey Bogart stars in one of his most memorable performances as Eddie Willis, a sportswriter who joins forces with a corrupt boxing promoter named Benko (Rod Steiger). Together, they scheme to deceive Toro Moreno (Mike Lane), a clumsy, seven-foot giant, and the public into believing Moreno has a shot at the heavyweight title. Through a carefully arranged series of fixed fights, Toro is duped into believing that he is a capable contender, only to have his dreams - and his huge body - shattered when he is brutally beaten in a genuine fight with the heavyweight champion. - Director:
- Mark Robson
- Cast:
- Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling
- Formats:
-
-
After leading his team to fifteen winning seasons, football coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. How these two men overcome their differences, and turn a group of hostile young men into champions, plays out in a remarkable and triumphant story full of soul and spirit. - Director:
- Boaz Yakin
- Cast:
- Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris
- Formats:
-
-
"The Damned United" tells the confrontational and darkly humorous story of Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) and his doomed 44 day tenure as manager of the reigning champions of English football; Leeds United. Taking the job without trusty lieutenant Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) by his side, and with a changing room full of what in his mind were players loyal to his bitter rival Don Revie (Colm Meaney), would lead to an unheralded examination of Clough's belligerence and brilliance over 44 days. This is that story. The story of The Damned United. - Director:
- Tom Hooper
- Cast:
- Colm Meaney, Henry Goodman, David Roper
- Formats:
-
-
Best Shot (1986)Hoosiers
Nominated for two Academy Awards, this triumphant tale of a high school basketball team's long-shot attempt to ascend to the State Championship is filled with edge-of-your-seat suspense and breathless excitement! Featuring fast-break cinematography that catches the pace of the game and intense, heart-rending performances from Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper, Hoosiers redefined the sports movie with a realism and frankness that make you believe in its small-town characters - and cheer for them over and over again. Hackman is Norman Dale, a basketball coach whose chequered past has led him to a last-chance position with a nearly have him fired, Dale perseveres with a gritty demeanour and an unwavering passion for the game. But winning over the team is only half the battle in a world where small-town teams can end up playing big-time rivals...and a downtrodden outsider can rouse the pride of an entire county. - Director:
- David Anspaugh
- Cast:
- Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper
- Formats:
-
-
Green Street (2005)Green Street Hooligans / Hooligans
When the whistle blows the blood flows...Rival football firms go head-to-head in this story of violence, adrenaline, loyalty, rivalry and back-street warfare. Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) moves to London after being kicked out of Harvard University for alleged drug dealing. Before long he gets sucked into the hardcore world of booze, balls and violence with London's toughest football firm - the Green Street Elite. While Matt's busy proving himself in battle, a chain of events is set in motion that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. - Director:
- Lexi Alexander
- Cast:
- Elijah Wood, Charlie Hunnam, Claire Forlani
- Formats:
-
-
It's the early 1960s and fifth-grader Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) has just moved into town with his folks (Karen Allen and Denis Leary). Kids call him a dork- he can't even throw a baseball! But that changes when the leader of the neighbourhood gang recruits him to play on the nearby sandlot field. It's the beginning of a magical summer of baseball, wild adventures, first kisses, and fearsome confrontations with the dreaded beast and its owner (James Earl Jones) who live behind the left field fence. Soon nine boys have become best friends, Scotty is part of a team, and their leader has become a local legend... - Director:
- David M. Evans
- Cast:
- Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna
- Formats:
-
-
Michael "Midge" Kelly (Douglas) is a boxer whose fight to the top is unhampered by ethics or gratitude. A hero to his fans, his friends know him to be a selfish egomaniac who allows nothing to stand in his way. After winning a fight he was supposed to throw, Mike's life is threatened by the mob, and he is only saved through the intervention of a woman who becomes yet another pawn in his climb up the ladder. Ultimately he is forced to re-enter the ring and confront his biggest opponent...himself. - Director:
- Mark Robson
- Cast:
- Polly Bergen, Kirk Douglas, Arthur Kennedy
- Formats:
-
-
"The Natural" follows the epic journey of Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford). A baseball player on his way to stardom in the big leagues, Hobbs finds his dreams shattered when a mysterious woman and a silver bullet end his career prematurely. Sixteen years later, Hobbs finds himself coming back to baseball, joining the roster of the lowly New York Knights. Can Hobbs overcome physical pain - and nefarious forces - to lead the Knights to the pennant? - Director:
- Barry Levinson
- Cast:
- Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close
- Formats:
-
-
"World's Leading Boxers Train Here Daily" says a sign outside Stillman's Gym. Thomas Rocco Barbella isn't a boxer. He's just a scrappy, desperate youth who needs dough. So he enters the gym, gives himself the made-up name of Rocky Graziano, sign on to spare for $10... and flattens toplight-heavyweight. The name sticks. So does the impact of this inspiring tale about Graziano's rise from poverty and rage to the middleweight title. In his second film, Paul Newman plays the ring king, preparing for the role in part by meeting with Graziano to study his speech and ways. Robert Wise, who earlier captured the fight game in 'The Set-Up', directs this double Academy Award winner with K.O. force. Unbilled Steve McQueen and Robert Loggia add to the film's many pleasures. Pull up a ringside seat. - Director:
- Robert Wise
- Cast:
- Paul Newman, Pier Angeli, Everett Sloane
- Formats:
-
-
Summer Storm (2004)Sommersturm
Tobi and Achim, the pride of the local rowing club, have been best friends for years and are convinced that nothing will ever stand in the way of their friendship. They are both extremely keen about the upcoming summer rowing camp and having the chance of winning the championship title. At camp, Achim begins spending more and more time with his girlfriend, whilst Tobi becomes increasingly skeptical of their relationship. When the Berlin team, Queerstrokes, arrives, Tobi's team loyalties become confused. The evening before race day, a storm breaks that is more than meteorological. - Director:
- Marco Kreuzpaintner
- Cast:
- Robert Stadlober, Laura Maire, Kostja Ullmann
- Formats:
-
-
Hotshot rookie race car Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is living life in the fast lane until he hits a detour on his way to the most important race of his life. Stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on the old Route 66, he meets Sally (voice of Bonnie Hunt), Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy), Doc Hudson (voice of Paul Newman) and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there's more to life than trophies and fame. - Director:
- John Lasseter
- Cast:
- Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman
- Formats:
-
-
Academy Award nominee Denzel Washington earned a Golden Globe for his powerful performance in this critically-acclaimed masterpriece directed by Norman Jewison. As popularized worldwide by Bob Dylan's smash song, it's the unforgettable saga of Rubin Hurricane Carter, a proud, once-promising prizefighter unjustly convicted of a brutal crime! Locked away and all but forgotten for nearly two decades, Carter's last glimmer of hope rests with the tireless efforts of a small group of supporters who stubbornly refuse to end the fight for his freedom! - Director:
- Norman Jewison
- Cast:
- Denzel Washington, Vicellous Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger
- Formats:
-