Top 10 Sports Films

We here at Movies For Lunch are proud to present another installment of the top ten list. Ever since our review of Coach Carter, our minds have been plagued by the thought of what would be considered the best sports movie. Since there are so many to choose from that are great in different ways we came up with a list. We came up with these movies individually which may explain why some movies are on both of our lists. So here are the top ten sports movies.

Dan - I’m not quite sure where to begin this list. I will list them alphabetically since it seems unfair to compare movies that are so different. I admit that I have not seen what some would consider great and classic like Raging Bull, Bull Durham, or Eight Men Out. I like all of these movies and it is fair to say that I found all of them to be uplifting and inspirational. Some of them are Oscar winners (The Fighter, Million Dollar Baby), and others clearly are not (Happy Gilmore). One could argue that many of these movies may not even be about sports, but use sports as a theme to simply tell a great story (see Field of Dreams). So without further ado, The Lists:


 Cinderella Man (2005) - Russell Crowe and Ron Howard had previously collaborated with the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind, and re-teamed here for the based on a true story of boxer Jim Braddock. This is a fantastic movie about a broken man (at times literally) who lived during the Great Depression and was struggling to make enough money just to feed his family, much like the rest of the country during that period. There are some really cool boxing scenes with several point of view shots on the receiving end of a few punches which made it seem like I was participating in the ring instead of just watching. The story itself is ultimately so triumphant that I’m going out on a limb here and calling it not only the best movie of 2005, but the best boxing movie I’ve seen.


 Field of Dreams (1989) - Have you ever noticed that some of the best sports movies aren’t so much about sports? There is hardly any baseball in this movie and the focus is not on an individual player or a team’s quest to win the championship. It is the story about a man’s (Kevin Costner) discovery he makes about himself before he understands why he is compelled to do such strange things as make a baseball diamond in the middle of his corn crop ("If you build it, he will come). The whole movie leads up to the realization of his own father’s regrets of the relationship (or lack thereof) with his son. And this one line: "Hey, dad? You wanna have a catch?" This line alone is responsible for making many a grown man cry (including me). Every time I hear this I think of the times when I was a kid and used to play catch with my old man. Hopefully you do too.


 The Fighter (2010) - I would have never guessed that this scrappy movie about a scrappy boxer would almost be the best boxing movie I’ve ever seen. It sucked me in right from the start (maybe it was the catchy soundtrack). This is another movie where the boxing is only a part of the greatness of it. The rest lies in the compelling portrayal of the family relationship between Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Melissa Leo, the latter two winning Oscars for their work here. Bale and Wahlberg play boxing brothers with Leo is their mother/manager. While the boxing is exciting in and of itself, it is the family dynamic that is the real meat of the movie. Leo is the ultimate manipulator and Bale is so convincing as a crack addict that I believed him to be this actual person and not an actor. Just watch it. You will be surprised how slyly you are drawn into their world. But be warned that there is a fair amount of language (especially the F-bomb).


 Happy Gilmore (1995) - The funniest sports movie on the list by far. The ridiculous plot follows a hockey player (who doesn’t know how to skate!) entering the equivalent of the PGA tour because his slapshot translates well on the golf course. You might recognize Happy’s love interest Virginia from the current TV comedy hit Modern Family as high-strung mom Claire Dunphy. A fact which I did not notice until my wife pointed it out me. Two scenes make me cry from laughing so hard: The scenes with Bob Barker, and the missed putt where Happy launches a profanity-laced tirade that the broadcast TV censors try to edit. This movie is quoted almost as much as Tommy Boy in my circle of friends. Keep a sharp eye for Ben Stiller as a slave-driving retirement home employee. Please, please remember to not take it seriously, and just laugh at how absurd it really is.


 Hoosiers (1986) - This movie is the first movie about basketball that I ever remember seeing and it has yet to topped as far as basketball movies go. I watched it with my dad and brothers when we were kids. Hoosiers to me is the quintessential basketball movie. A new coach with unusual methods shows up and teaches the players fundamentals, physicality, and how to play with confidence. It takes place in a small town in Indiana where most of the players are farm boys without a lot of amazing talent except for one guy, and the movie wisely does not focus on him but keeps it about the team. Gene Hackman as the coach gives a performance that makes you as the viewer want the team to win as much for him as for themselves. And it’s based on a true story. What’s not to love?


 The Karate Kid - I’m talking about the original here, and not the crappy sequels (except for Karate Kid 2) or the modest re-make. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso all the way. I used to call myself Daniel-san and attempt the crane kick whenever my friends and I wrestled each other. This story of a kid who is bullied and learns to defend himself is even more relevant today, especially as one hears of teens ending their own lives as a result of bullying. The best way I can think to describe this movie is uplifting. Watch it and be uplifted. There are portions that may seem a little dated, but it certainly doesn’t detract from the message. And Mr. Miyagi was nominated for an Oscar!!


 Million Dollar Baby (2004) - I had no expectations going into this movie. This was the first movie that Clint Eastwood directed that began my understanding and appreciation for how great of a filmmaker and actor he really is. After watching this I went back and re-watched some of his previous movies like Mystic River and Unforgiven. The guy’s an incredible talent on both sides of the camera. Anyway, I had read a few reviews of it and heard it was good, but I was blown away. I don’t know how Eastwood did it, but he took a movie about boxing and made it about so much more. There was a lot of flak about the second half of the movie (which I will not reveal/discuss here), but I realized that this isn’t so much about what decisions are made as it is about the feelings/motivations behind them, or the "why" of it all. And as the relationships between the characters is observed it becomes clear why these people do what they do, like why Hilary Swank wanted to become a boxer in the first place, and why Eastwood didn’t want to manage/coach any more boxers.


 The Natural (1984) - I love how fitting the title of this movie is. Robert Redford stars as Roy Hobbs, who was literally on his way to be "the best there ever was" playing baseball before suffering a horrific setback. The rest of the story is about how he still makes it big. The more I think about it, the more I love how this movie comes together. Everything seems to be going against Redford to keep him from being successful from the owner of the team he plays for betting against his own team to being distracted by Kim Basinger, all the way to his beloved bat breaking when he needed it the most. It’s the journey of this guy that becomes so compelling, almost more than his talent for baseball. And the last scene is a spectacular contrast to the rest of the movie’s pizzazz.


 Remember the Titans (2000) - This movie always strikes me as an important sports movie, if there is such a thing. Denzel Washington is appointed as the head coach of a football team in Virginia that becomes one of the first schools to integrate after the Civil Rights Movement. The resulting racism from both sides makes for a compelling movie on its own, but throw in the egos of young athletes who think they are better than everyone else and you’ve got a movie ripe with conflict to be resolved. I don’t know how much of this "based on a true story" movie is fictionalized, but it was done in such a way that I feel as uplifted as I do when I watch the original Karate Kid. This is an inspiring movie. Watch it and be both uplifted and inspired to never judge people by the color of their skin. And just for fun, look sharp for before-they-were-famous stars Ryan Gosling and Kate Bosworth.


 The Sandlot (1992) - This is the quintessential kid-sports movie about pickup games and having fun. There is nothing spectacular about the plot to get back an autographed baseball signed by Babe Ruth from a giant dog holding it hostage other than seeing all of the ways the kids come up with to retrieve it. I think movies like this are great because they remind me of similar experiences from my own childhood. Not that I ever had anything this exciting happen, but I seem to remember something like it. I loved just getting the chance to go play with my friends every day during the summer. I guess nostalgia is a big reason that I continue to enjoy this movie as an adult as opposed to just when I was a kid.

Mark -
My own criteria in determining this list had as much to do with what films I really enjoy, as compared to films that I think were really well made. In order to make the list for me these films all receive a yes to the question of "If this film is on, am I going to watch it?" I don’t care if it’s on TV or DVD or something else, if I see the film, the chances are that I’m going to watch at least part of it. Having said that, here are my favorite/top sports films in no particular order.

1) The Fighter - Even though Mark Wahlberg plays the main character in this film, Christian Bale easily steals the focus and attention anytime he is on screen. This film reminds me of a terrible accident that you had to look at, but at the same time you simply can’t help but look and be amazed at the horrifying results.

2) Cinderella Man - I have to admit that I am a big fan of Russell Crowe, and thus this movie easily makes my list. I know a lot of people who hate boxing, but have loved this movie simply because of the plot centered around the struggles endured during the great depression.

3) Field Of Dreams - Of all of the films on this list, this is the film that I have watched more times than any other. It got to the point a few years ago where no one could stand to be in the same room as me while I watched this film, simply because I could repeat the entire dialogue. This is one of the few films that is equal to or better than the book in my opinion.

4) Hoosiers - For me this is by far the best basketball film ever made. Dennis Hopper and Gene Hackman both give amazing performances. There have been a lot films that try to depict the same underdog defeating the giant scenario, but none of them do it as well as Hoosiers.

5) Rocky (as the series, minus Rocky V) - You simply can’t talk about sports movies without mentioning the Rocky films. One of the best parts about these films is still the music. I’m glad that Stallone decided to make Rocky Balboa so that the franchise didn’t have to end on the mess that was Rocky V.

6) Caddyshack - My bias again comes out with this selection because I think that Bill Murray is one of, if not the, funniest comedians in film. Murray’s role as Carl the groundskeeper is one of the funniest things I have ever watched. This film amazes me even more after learning how much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors. Harrold Ramis and Bill Murray really made some great movies together.

7) The Sandlot - The characters, and especially their nicknames, are some of my favorites ever. This film really does remind me of what it was like to simply be a kid and get together with friends to play baseball, or any other sport, after school or during the summer. I can still remember my group of friends determining who was which character from this movie. Just for the record I was Smalls, although my favorite character is Squints.

8) Major League - Its impossible for me to watch a baseball and not think of "just a bit outside" anytime a wild pitch is thrown. The revelations of Charlie Sheen actually taking steroids for this film, and Wesley Snipes being incredibly slow only seem to add to the lore of this film in my opinion. Seeing where those two actors are now in their lives what is perhaps even crazier is the notion that these revelations don’t seem shocking at all.

9) Million Dollar Baby - Clint Eastwood deserves all of the praise and recognition for this film. No other actor could have played the role that he did in this film. Hilary Swank was definitely good and deserved her praise as well, but this movie would not have been the same without Eastwood.

10) The Rookie - I figure that this film is one that not many others would pick for their own list, but it is one that I really enjoy. Dennis Quaid plays such an easy character to like that it’s hard not to enjoy this film in my opinion. One of my favorite lines also comes from this film which is, "Sometimes you have to stop doing what you want to do, and start doing what you were meant to do."

Armageddon (1998)

Will Patton, Bruce Willis, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ben Affleck, and Owen Wilson

Here for purely entertaining purposes is our review of Armageddon. It stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Ben Affleck, all of whom are responsible for literally saving the world. We were surprised to learn that one of the (many) writers credited for this movie is none other than J.J. Abrams, who went on to create some fantastic entertainment including Alias, Super 8, and the re-booted version of Star Trek. This movie is rated PG-13 for disaster violence, language (including 2 F-Bombs), and some foreplay between Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler.

Dan -
I may get a lot of criticism for this next comment, but I’ll say it anyway: I love Michael Bay movies! I’m not sure if it is his unabashed glorification of all things American, his cool low-angle rotating shots of the heroes, or the fact that he knows how make stuff blow up real good. They are enormously entertaining (except for Bad Boys II which just sucked) and, surprisingly, they stir a sense of emotion in me from time to time. Even a movie like this one.

If I have one complaint about Michael Bay movies, it is that there is never any sense of real time or space in most of his movies. The Transformers movies are the worst offenders (There’s a giant airfield behind the Smithsonian with lots of mothballed aircraft? Seriously?), but this movie is right on their heels. And maybe that is the fault of the people who edit his movies, but he still must share some of the blame. There will be unexplained costume changes by the characters, or the sun will suddenly have set from one scene to the next without any justification of time passing. Just my own personal observances, but hey, these are movies and the beauty of this art form is that a person can create whatever reality they want (like simultaneously launching 2 space shuttles within a mile of each other, and then landing those space shuttles on a moving asteroid).

Enough negativity. This movie is for entertainment and nothing else. You as the viewer must be willing to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the ride, so don’t think too hard about this movie unless you just want to mock it. That being said, I like this movie. It is pure escapist fun. The plot is simple enough: A giant asteroid is headed for Earth and unless it is stopped it will impact and kill the entire planet. NASA seeks the expertise of Bruce Willis’ oil-drilling roughneck crew in order to implant a nuclear bomb in the middle of the asteroid.

I think that many filmmakers, including Bay, take great joy in thinking up ways to destroy the planet. I secretly wonder if Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich (of Independence Day and 2012 fame) were best friends as children since their movies seem to be the most detrimental to Earth. In this movie we see Paris obliterated and New York damaged severely by an array of asteroids (including a shot of the World Trade Center on fire with a hole in it, which almost gave me chills when I saw it).

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. It’s strictly a fun movie that you should not be concerned about taking seriously.

Nerd Note: Have you ever noticed just how many movies with similar plots are released, and often in the same year? I submit the following for example: Deep Impact and Armageddon in 1998, Antz and A Bug’s Life also in 1998, Capote and Infamous in 2005, Tombstone and Wyatt Earp in 1994, Mission to Mars and Red Planet in 2000, Dante’s Peak and Volcano in 1997, and Killers and Knight and Day in 2010 to name a few. One would think movie studios checked around before green-lighting some of their projects. I’m just sayin’...

Mark -
Surprisingly this was actually the first time that I have seen this film, and I really don’t feel like I missed out on waiting this long to see it. I really thought that I would enjoy this film since I really like many of the actors in the film, but this film is a classic example of how a bad script can’t be saved by good actors. I understand that this film is supposed to be enjoyed mostly for its special effects and the actors themselves, but the action-comedy approach to this film ends up creating huge problems for the plot, leaving this movie to be nothing but a head shaking joke.

The plot of this film centers around the idea that a meteor the size of Texas is headed towards Earth, and if it isn’t stopped then it will destroy everything and everyone. In order to save the world, it is decided that a group of misfit oil drillers will fly out into space, land on the meteor, and drill into the core of the meteor. Once the drillers have reached a certain depth, a nuclear weapon will be placed in the hole and detonated; theoretically splitting the meteor in such a way that no debris will hit the Earth.

So here’s my major problem with this film: Much to my displeasure every little event in this film becomes life or death. I sat watching this film thinking that I was watching the film 2012 all over again, and that anyone who survives just barely survives, yet the reasoning they use to obtain survival is absolutely ridiculous. For a film with so many characters that are supposed to be very intelligent, these so called intellects came up with some of the stupidest possible solutions or ideas when confronted with problems. Although it is quite obvious from the beginning that time is going to play a major factor in the plot, this film shows absolutely no sense of real time being used, and in my opinion shows one of the dumbest uses of effectively using time to accomplish the desired outcome.

Somehow this film helped relaunch the career of Bruce Willis, and helped to launch the careers of Michael Clarke Duncan and Owen Wilson which I am very grateful for. How they accomplished this I’m uncertain, but I guess any exposure is sometimes better than none. The funny parts of this movie were definitely the most enjoyable for me, but it still couldn’t really due much to save this film. 2 *’s out of 5

My Random Thought For Armageddon: I understand that Michael Bay probably isn’t going for realism in his films, but I unfortunately found Bay’s Transformer films to be just as, if not more realistic than this film.

Coach Carter (2005)

Samuel L. Jackson as Coach Ken Carter

We decided to go for the cliche inspirational sports movie this time around. Coach Carter is rated PG-13 for violence, language, teen partying (aka underage drinking), and some drug material (one of the characters is a dealer on the side).

Dan -
I am a such a sucker for movies that are supposed to inspire people. What can I say? I like being inspired and seeing other people make changes that will affect the rest of their lives. Whether it is fictional or based on a true story, I get pulled in almost every time and become personally involved with the triumphs and failures of the characters. And doesn't everyone love an underdog story?

Have you ever noticed that many of the greatest sports movies have a lot to do with a great coach? This movie fills half of those requirements in that it has a great coach, and Samuel L. Jackson was really good as the coach in this. His intensity along with his propensity for yelling his dialogue is actually appropriate for this movie. I really bought into him as a tough coach who would have such high expectations. And he can be classy at the same time he is yelling. If ever there was a dude who epitomized the term BMF, it's this guy.

For anyone who actually considers watching the movies reviewed on this blog, this really is a compelling story. A coach who puts education before basketball is almost revolutionary. Suspending the games because the players weren't doing well enough in class even though they were undefeated is unprecedented. I know this is Hollywood-ized, but I feel it is almost an important sports movie.

Is this movie as good as Hoosiers or Glory Road? No. But it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was good enough for repeat viewing, so I bought it (albeit used). I liked that it seemed grounded in reality. When it came time for the final game, I really didn't know who was going to win. The editing is highly stylized and the soundtrack is filled with hip-hop music (which I don't necessarily care for), and there are some really distracting subplots. Take for example one of the stars of the team, Rob Brown, has gotten his girlfriend pregnant and is having second thoughts about having a baby. I think the point was to ground the movie in reality, but it had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Sticking with basketball and the classroom would have really helped this movie along.

I give this movie 3½ out of 5 stars. Samuel L. Jackson and his methods make this movie more than I thought it would be.

The real Coach Ken Carter

Mark -
I feel like this movie has been made so many times, and this film is just another variation of something that has previously been done. I think it’s great that so many individuals have been able to overcome difficult situations, but just because one or two films have been successful with such stories doesn’t mean that all of the other studious should try to have the same success with their own film.

The specifics of the plot of this film are centered around the Richmond (CA) High School Oilers basketball team, a low income/high crime neighborhood, whose long-time coach is ready to retire, and hoping the school’s previous biggest star will agree to take the position over. Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) agrees to coach the team, and immediately makes his presence known by having all players who wish to be on the basketball team sign a contract, stating that they will maintain a minimum 2.3 GPA, dress up on game days, and be respectful towards others. Through Carter’s hard work/my way approach he is able to transform a basketball team that had 4 wins the previous year into a team that would win every regular season game it played in his first season.

The most redeeming quality of this film for me is that there is a lot of emphasis placed on, and given to, the importance of education and its need for getting the students further in life. During a pivotal point in the film, in which the educational requirements and standards of Coach Carter are being challenged, I especially appreciated a statement made by Coach Carter where he is trying to stress the importance of accountability, a trait he feels is lacking or overlooked among professional athletes.

Finally I feel that this film was targeted too much at a specific type of audience, as is the case with most films made by MTV films. The environmental aspects of this film further accentuated by rap and hip hop music, considerable amounts of slang, and stereotypical behaviors. 3 *’s out of 5

My Random Thought For Coach Carter: Here’s a major problem I have with this movie trying to tie a past event into current events. The movie is about the 1999 Richmond team, but they make references to the character Ty Crane being the next Lebron James. That’s great but Lebron James was just entering high school at that time and was nothing of a star yet. If the writers decided to try and put things in a current context, as in the 2005 time frame which the movie was released, then the problem comes when they discuss Crane’s shoe-in to be the next number 1 pick in the NBA draft. Someone failed to do their research showing that the collective bargaining agreement which was entered for the 2006 NBA draft required all eligible players to be at least 19 years old at the start of the draft year. Sorry to whoever was trying to be clever, but clearly you were just trying to combine too many things and ended up with an inaccuracy instead.

Song Of The South (1946)

James Baskett as Uncle Remus telling stories to the children.

We now present a review of Song of the South. We broke into the Disney Vault and found this unforgotten-but-hard-to-come-by film. It is not rated, but would probably be rated G as there is no foul language and the violence is in cartoon form and done for laughs.

Mark -
First things first... no we can’t tell you how we were able to get a copy of this film. I still don’t understand the debate of what makes this film so prejudicial, but I’m certainly glad that I have had the opportunity to view a masterpiece which so few are able to enjoy. If anything I would say that the camaraderie and friendship of the different characters should be commended for their interactions, especially considering this film takes place in the South long before the civil rights movements took place. Having said such, I understand that the complete version of this film has never been released in the United States, and it makes me wonder what parts have been cut out, which may or may not change my opinion.

The storyline of this film deals with Johnny who has just moved to his grandmother’s plantation with his mother, while his father returns to Atlanta to continue his job responsibilities. While Johnny is less than thrilled to have his family broken up, he soon makes new friends with two children on the plantation, Toby and Ginny, and is introduced to the renowned story teller Uncle Remus. The tales of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear are told, bringing to life some of the most vibrant and fun characters in any of Disney’s films.

The animation and music in this film are true gems. It was awarded an academy award for best music and original song for Zip A Dee Doo Dah. In the same year, James Baskett, who plays Uncle Remus and the voice of Br’er Fox, was awarded an honorary academy award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, making his the first African-American to receive an academy award. Sadly Baskett passed away 4 months after receiving such reward, he was only 44.

If you are able to get as lucky as we were, and are able to view this film, I would certainly encourage anyone to do so. I hope that someday Disney will release this film again, as it deserves to be enjoyed by anyone who chooses to do so. To anyone whom this film may have offended I am sorry, but as was Walt Disney’s motto in life to "keep moving forward", I believe that Disney had a hope for segregation and racism to subside. As a last note it is somewhat ironic to think that the African-American stars of this film were not allowed to attend its premiere in Atlanta, again due to the segregation laws at that time. 4 ½ *’s out of 5.

My Random Thought For Song of the South: I am so happy that Disney came up with the splash mountain ride at their theme parks, allowing all who go on the ride the opportunity to enjoy the music and characters of Song of the South. I can’t help but wonder how many people truly understand the background for that ride though.

Dan -
I'm sure some of you did a double take when you saw the title of this blog post. I nearly did one myself when I found out we would be watching it. I seem to remember parts of this movie from when I was really little as I think we had a copy of a copy of a VHS tape, but it only had the animated parts. I did not remember any important details, and was only familiar with the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah song that I had heard many times. It was something about a fox, a rabbit, and a fake animal made out of tar. And for anyone who thinks that Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is the first movie to blend animation with live action (which included me up until this point), this movie exists to prove you wrong. And Disney did it more than 40 years before Roger Rabbit!

Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed with this movie. I loved the animated sequences more than the live action ones, and the songs are really catchy and I was humming a few of them throughout the rest of the day. The live action stuff took a lot more time to get in to than the animation. It wasn't until Uncle Remus started telling his morality tales about Br'er Rabbit to the kids that I got sucked in. Uncle Remus really is the heart and soul of the movie and makes you care about what happens with each of the characters. He is warm, kind, compassionate, and it doesn't hurt that he's good with the kids.

So on to the controversy. Mark talked about it a little already, so I hope this doesn't sound repetitive. Just to be clear I am a white male, so my perspective is exactly that and I could never understand all of the racist undertones throughout the movie. This movie appears to take place after the abolition of slavery. I am no historian, but for a movie that takes place in the South after the Civil War everyone sure seemed to get along much better than they likely did in real life. Johnny's mom is the one who is the horrible person with her treatment of Uncle Remus. The white family lives in the fancy house on the plantation while in stark contrast Uncle Remus and the other black characters live in poor accommodations. The movie just glosses over everything by making it look like everyone is happy exactly the way things are. It's a large fault that is hard to overlook with today's standards and sensibilities.

Now to discuss other things. I don't know why I found the dynamic of the three animated characters so appealing. Maybe it's because Br'er Bear is portrayed as a big dumb oaf. His voice just made me laugh. And so did hearing the motormouthed Br'er Fox try to explain logic to Br'er Bear about how Br'er Rabbit is trying to fool them both all the time. They just struck me as funny, as if they were all brothers who don't know how to get along with each other and get manipulated and fooled constantly. Br'er Rabbit reminded me a bit of Bugs Bunny and how he always had to use his wits to get out of any trouble. I also grew up watching Looney Toons as well as the old Disney animation when I was a kid, and this took me right back to those memories.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. The animation is fun, and the songs are delightful and catchy.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Ed Burns

Here for your reading is our review of Saving Private Ryan. This is the first movie that both of us gave the same star-rating. It is rated R for intense, prolonged, and realistically graphic sequences of war violence, and for language. It is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. The violence does not exist for a gross-out factor, but is meant to accurately depict the ravages of war.

Mark -
It’s very difficult to write a review for a film where regardless of what you write it will never really do it justice. If nothing else this film has given me an even greater appreciation for the individuals who have fought for the freedom of this country and freedom around the world. I have no military experience myself, and as such I am certain that I don’t fully understand or appreciate the sacrifices as much as I probably should.

This film portrays events surrounding the invasion of Normandy and its nearby areas. After storming the beaches of Normandy, a small group of soldiers are asked to perform a locate and rescue mission for one specific soldier.

Its difficult, if not impossible, to not cringe at the realistic nature that Spielberg portrays in this film. There have been many films made about war, but none have shown the brutality in quite the same way as this film. It’s not only the images that are disturbing, but in order to capture the full effect, the sounds that accompany the images intensify each horrific scene.

I have no idea how this film got so lucky, but it definitely did with its casting. Each of the actors in this film plays their character remarkably, and you get the sense that each of them realized that there really were no true stars in this film, but that the entirety of it was for a greater good.

Although this isn’t a film that was necessarily enjoyable to watch, I’m glad that I have seen it, and have a little bit more of an understanding of the hardships that took place during WWII. I can’t imagine most people wanting to watch this film on a regular basis, and can support those who wish not to see the graphic nature of this film altogether. 5 *’s out of 5

My Random Thought For Saving Private Ryan: If you were to look at this one role in particular, its hard to image that Vin Diesel would become what he did after this film. Hard to imagine the possibilities of what may have been, just as it is hard for me to imagine that is actually 44.

Dan -
I should preface this review that it will further solidify my standing as a movie nerd. I am not ashamed to admit it, but rather have come to embrace it. I’d like to think it helps me understand movies better, but I could be completely wrong and I come across as an obsessive geek in the worst sense of the word. Either way I submit the following review.

I don’t know where to begin, so I will start randomly with my adoration of this movie. It is technically amazing in every way. The most memorable aspect to me is the cinematography. It seems like this was the first movie to introduce the shaky-cam technique, giving you the feeling that you are actually in the thick of the action. This is one of the few movies that it actually works but is not overused. I heard when this movie was first released that the opening sequence was so realistically portrayed that it was triggering post traumatic stress disorder for some veterans that had similar experiences.

One scene that stands out to me technically speaking is where the rain begins to fall at the beginning of the mission to find Private Ryan as the men come upon their first battle. I didn’t notice at first, but each drop of rain coincided with a gunshot. It was faint at first with only a few drops and pops here and there, but as the rain came down harder the gunfire picked up the pace as well and you begin to hear machine guns instead of single shot rifles. This was simply masterful editing and sound mixing that deserved the Oscars they earned for it. While I didn’t get to watch this in surround sound, I did the next best thing and watched it with headphones (so as not to offend co-workers with the foul language and loud violence). It created such a close feeling that I almost felt like I was dodging bullets with the guys on screen.

I am a huge fan of movie soundtracks, specifically the scores of movies, and John Williams is one of my favorites. The guy has written some of the most famous movie music there is from Star Wars to Superman to Indiana Jones. There is not a whole lot of music in this movie and it is subtle when it does appear. Until the end credits. The track is called Hymn to the Fallen, it runs only during the end credits, and it is one of the most stirring pieces of music ever in a movie. It just seems like such a payoff to the emotions I felt throughout the movie.

This happens to be one (of admittedly many) movie that makes me cry. The strange thing is that each time I’ve watched it I cried at different parts. This time the emotion came just after the beach invasion when Private Mellish finally releases his own emotion and has a chance to relax. I thought of how I would react in a similar situation. Another time was when Medic Wade had been shot, everyone was trying to save him, and he begins to cry out for his mom.

This movie did an incredible job of getting me to feel just what the men of the movie feel. They question why they must risk their own lives for someone that they have never met and hasn’t done anything to "earn" his ticket home. From the anger of the men sent to get Private Ryan to the frustration and confusion of Ryan himself as he hears that he is supposed to go home I swear I felt every emotion the characters were feeling.

In addition to the unforgettable battle scenes, there are several quiet moments that give this movie the depth required to make it great. There is a scene right before the final battle where the men are sharing stories of their lives at home with each other and laughing about them. It seems unremarkable and almost out of place until I realized the point of it was to illustrate that these were ordinary people asked to do extraordinary things. I think of a similar scene in the church after finding the wrong Private Ryan. And in the brief exchange of a look between Ed Burns and Matt Damon before the first shots are fired of the final stand. No words, but an understanding that they will fight together against the enemy.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I still wonder how Shakespeare in Love could have won Best Picture over this movie. Without question this is not only the best movie about World War II, but it is the best war movie period. I saw this the summer I turned 18 and remember being completely affected by it. Having seen it a few times since then, I have grown to love and appreciate it more upon each subsequent viewing. This movie also helped me appreciate more fully the sacrifice made by the men and women of the Armed Forces.

The Eagle (2011)

Channing Tatum, Mark Strong, and Jamie Bell

We know what you are probably thinking: Finally these guys review a movie that is new enough that I can actually it find at a Redbox! Yep, we finally made it into the current year with The Eagle. It was originally rated PG-13 for battle sequences and disturbing images (dead bodies and gross wounds). The version we watched was unrated and we can only speculated that the "realistic" blood splatters as well as some of the more gruesome action we saw in the battle scenes were removed keep it from being rated R.

Dan -

I didn't know what to expect with this movie as we started it. I will say that I was very optimistic because the director, Kevin MacDonald, has made some pretty good movies like State of Play, The Last King of Scotland, and Touching the Void. This guy knows how to choose a compelling story and tells it well. Until this movie. It stars Channing Tatum as Marcus, a Roman soldier recently given his first command and on a personal quest to restore his family's honor. Apparently his father was commander of the mysterious Ninth Legion of Rome who marched into unknown and unconquered territory and were never heard from again. Oh, and he lost the prized symbol of the legion: an eagle made of gold (hence the title of the movie). It also stars Jamie Bell as Marcus' slave Esca, who comes from the geographical region that Rome is trying to conquer and where Marcus' father was lost. The two of them embark on the dangerous journey across enemy lines to retrieve the eagle, thereby hoping to restore honor to Marcus' disgraced family name.

There are a whole bunch of movies about either restoring family honor or keeping it in tact, and I honestly have a somewhat difficult time relating to that. My education and background teach about being an individual and doing things to make a name for yourself.  One man's actions are his own and he is not judged or held responsible for anyone else who has gone before him.  Not that there is any problem with these movies for being like that, I just don't relate. I think the closest I come to that is making the people I care about most proud of me, but how much does it matter when the person you are trying to make proud is dead? I don't know, maybe that's the same thing only said in a different way.

There were several parts of this movie that just didn't feel right to me. For starters Marcus just looks too contemporary for this movie, and doesn't quite have the skill to pull off a period piece outside of the 1900s. I don't know if it's a lack of maturity as well as a lack of ability, but I couldn't buy him as a Roman soldier. And the last couple of lines of dialogue also seemed a little modern and did not fit with the rest of the movie. At the end I just felt indifferent. To quote The Simpsons on how I would describe this movie: Meh. There has to be characters that one can actually care about, and while this movie tried to do that they ultimately failed.

Does it deliver anything close to the bar set by other Roman period pieces like Ben-Hur or Gladiator? No, but how could it? There is nowhere near the caliber of talent or story here to work with. The coolest scene is the battle at the beginning, and unfortunately the movie is just downhill from there.

I give this movie 2 out of 5 stars. I was mildly interested throughout, but it wasn't compelling enough in the end.
Mark -

A word of advice to any director or producer thinking of making another film about the Roman Empire...DON’T!!! As much as I, or anyone else, would like to view any film for its own story and standards, it simply isn’t going to happen. Any film based on the Roman Empire is going to be compared to the likes of Gladiator, Ben Hur, and Spartacus, and I don’t really think many people would want to have their film competing with such.

This film had doom written all over it well before Dan and I started to turn into Mystery Science Theater 3000 making smart-ass comments during the supposed serious and intense moments of this film. Predictability is one thing, but taking things to the level of ridiculousness and stupidity is another.

Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell were fine in their respective roles, but it is hard to believe that given the discovered truths and backgrounds of their characters that they would actually want anything to do with the other. Unfortunately, regardless of who was cast in any role for this film, their name or acting would not be able to save this film from its horrid demise.

Obviously I was not a fan of this film, and am grateful for Dan’s sake that it was a film from his netflix queue, and not something that he actually purchased. If you like slow, predictable, plot-hole ridden films, then this a film you will love. Otherwise, just wait til they show it on tv sometime and after 10 minutes you will probably give up on it; as you should. 1½ out of 5 *’s.

My Random Thought For The Eagle: Of all of the things that could have bothered me during this movie, there was one thing that stood out to me in particular. During the final battle between the Romans and the Seal Tribe, the Romans are equipped with swords, while the Seals have hatchets and similar weapons that appear to be made out of sticks and stones. What I still can’t figure out is why does a collision of these two weapons always create a very distinct metal on metal sound?

Vertigo (1958)

Jimmy Stewart rescuing Kim Novak

Here we have for review what many call a "Classic" movie. Vertigo is directed by the often imitated, but never duplicated Alfred Hitchcock. It was unrated at the time of its release, but would probably get a PG-13 for themes of death, murder, and suicide, as well as some light sexual references.

Mark-

I haven’t seen a lot of Hitchcock movies, but the ones I have seen I have enjoyed. I’ve known about the reputation of Vertigo for a number of years, and sadly just now got around to finally watching it.

James (Jimmy) Stewart plays John "Scottie" Fergusen, a retired San Francisco detective, who develops acrophobia after a horrifying on the job experience. Scottie is asked by an old friend to follow his wife after she has been displaying some bizarre recent activities, and is concerned for her welfare. Though reluctant to get back into any type of detective work, Scottie agrees to take the assignment after falling for the beauty of Madeline Elster (Kim Novak). Convinced that Madeline has become possessed by a former ancestor of hers, Scottie becomes more worried about her stability when Madeline’s reckless behavior begins showing signs of turning suicidal. After falling in love with Madeline, Scottie is distraught and severely depressed when his acrophobia inhibits him from being able to stop Madeline from jumping to her death.

While you may be wondering from that brief summary why this movie would be so great; I would agree with you that if it stopped there and nothing else happened, then this movie would really have been nothing to shout about. However, like I have written before, I don’t want to give away any real spoilers, and it would be a shame to not be able to experience the psychological twists and turns of this movie for oneself. While there were definitely some slow and dull moments during this film, the twists and revealing points of this film more than make up for any lull in the action. You truly have to stick with this film and give it a chance to completely develop and show its full potential.

We watched this film over two sittings, and I admit that I was very skeptical and didn’t understand any of the praise for this movie after just the first day. I was convinced that Hitchcock had made a film based on supernatural phenomenon, and I just couldn’t understand what he was trying to accomplish by doing so. After completing the film I understand the hype and praise, and join those who give such, mostly because I love films with a good twist in them.

For all of the praise and recognition this film now exhorts, I was shocked to see that the only two academy awards this film was nominated for was best sound, and best art/set decoration. It didn’t win either of its nominations, but it should go down as a film known for its great screenplay, and beautiful shots of San Francisco.

While this movie didn’t necessarily captivate me and keep me drawn in as much as Rear Window or North by Northwest, I very much enjoyed this film and loved the many wow factors that it contains. 4 ½ *’s out of 5

My Random Thought For Vertigo: Clearly everyone involved with this film had never heard of the appropriate age dating rule since they broke it any way you try to look at it. The rule clearly states that the youngest appropriate age to date someone else is half of your own age plus 7 years. Taking the real life ages at the time of this movie of Stewart (50) and Novak (25), or the characters ages which is an even larger difference, any relationship between these two is clearly outside the boundaries of appropriateness.

Dan -

When I was in college I took several film classes and I attribute them to exposing me to what many call the classics. I was introduced to Citizen Kane, The Bicycle Thief, silent film comedies starring Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, and Casablanca to name a few. I was also introduced to Alfred Hitchcock with the great Rear Window, which inspired me to see a few others of his movies like North By Northwest and The Man Who Knew Too Much. And no, that was not a deliberate choice to only watch Hitchcock movies starring Jimmy Stewart, which all of those previous three titles do. I was merely starting out with the movies that I had heard of at the time.

Hitchcock is known as the Master of Suspense and this movie further solidifies that title. Be warned that this is a slow burner, but once the tension builds you can't stop watching. I had no idea what would happen next or how it would end. I even had another jaw dropping moment when Kim Novak jumps to her death and Jimmy Stewart, paralyzed with fear, is powerless to stop her. Up until that point I didn't feel much into the movie, but then it changed dramatically.

Speaking of Jimmy Stewart's acrophobia or vertigo (as the title suggests), Hitchcock used one of the coolest camera tricks to illustrate the effects of it. The camera is physically moved backward while the lens is simultaneously zoomed in creating an illusion of greater distance than is actually present. The camera was also rotated to intensify the impact it has on the senses, making it literally dizzying as I watched.

Some of the sequences are a little dated and sort of took me out of the movie (the beginning chase and effects, the dream sequence), but I understood what the point was. The music score in this movie also kind of grated on me. Bernard Herrmann has done some really memorable film scores (North By Northwest, Psycho), but this one almost didn't feel right for this movie. I realize that may have been the point of it at times, but when the two leads are merely driving around San Francisco is there really a need for such a noticeable underscore? Don't get me wrong, it was very effective in the tense parts, but the rest could have been toned down a bit.

I wanted to love this movie, but I only ended up liking it a lot. I give it 4 out of 5 stars because it took me by surprise a few times, and because I could literally feel the emotions in the final scene from each of the characters in it simultaneously.

Side note: If you really want an in-depth analysis of this movie read Roger Ebert's review of the movie, but beware of major spoilers. It does help give this movie tremendous depth for shallow people like me, and it helped me appreciate it more.

Tommy Boy (1995)

David Spade and Chris Farley

And now as was promised in a previous post: Tommy Boy. It's rated PG-13 for some drug use (marijuana), sex-related humor, and brief nudity (a girl jumping in a pool naked).

Dan –
Let’s be clear up front, I love this movie because it makes me laugh, not because of its clever plot or intelligent dialogue, which it clearly lacks. If I could only watch the same five movies over and over again for the rest of my life, this is the first movie that pops into my head. And I have no idea what the others would be.  It is one of the most quoted and quotable movies among my group of friends. As I was watching it again I noticed just how many of the lines I still use in my regular vocabulary (“Holy Schnike!”, “Son of a!” etc.). My friends and I can quote almost the whole thing and laugh at every joke as if it was the first time we’d heard it. It just never gets old to me. My wife even got me a shirt with the Callahan Auto Parts logo.

I’d be lying if I told you that I don’t see a lot of similarities between myself and the character of Thomas R. Callahan, III, especially as he is embodied and brought to life by the late, great Chris Farley. Tommy went to college for seven years, I went to college for six. Tommy is a big guy, I’m a big guy. Tommy tells stories that go a little too far, I tell stories that go a little too far. He gets called Tommy Boy, I get called Danny Boy. The list could go on. If there was a movie made of my life and Chris Farley was still alive, I would choose him to play me. As Mark and I started watching this movie I mentioned that I have some similar character traits to him and, not surprisingly, he agreed he was thinking the same thing.


Some movies will always be funny no matter how many times you see them, making you laugh even when you know what’s coming almost as if the anticipation is as funny as the joke. This is a funny movie and the two stars play really well off each other. They both have great timing, and Chris Farley is a great physical comedian (I can't believe he does such a nice cartwheel) as well as a guy with an expressive face and manic energy. Just look at the stories he tells - the sales pitch in the picture above, the "why I suck as a salesman" story, and the guarantee fairy sales pitch.


This movie became funnier as I got older because I finally got some of the jokes. For example, I had no idea that Herbie Hancock was a band. I laughed initially because it looked so ridiculous as an answer. When Bo Derek comes out of the pool and Tommy says, “She’s like a ten!” I was unaware of the movie "10" starring Bo Derek that introduced her in the exact same way until my dad told me when I watched it with him. It got funnier once I saw the actual scene too.


I love this movie and give it 5 out of 5 stars. I’m going to make a bold statement that this is the comedy of my generation and one of, if not the, funniest movies I have ever seen. Just about everyone that I know that has seen this movie thinks it is hilarious. And the ones who didn’t had no sense of humor to begin with (no offense to those people).

Mark -
It’s sad that it sometimes takes rewatching (I’m not sure it’s a word either) a film like this to truly remember and appreciate how funny someone like Chris Farley is/was. I don’t usually enjoy the over-the-top type of comic performances (i.e. Jim Carrey or Robin Williams), which Farley could be construed as, but the way everything seems so natural to Farley allows it to become realistic rather than reaching.

The film portrays the story of Tommy Callahan (Farley) who has just graduated from college after 7 years, and returns home to work at the family owned Callahan auto parts. When Tommy’s father Big Tom (Brian Dennehy) suddenly passes, its up to Tommy to try and save the company and keep the jobs of the current employees. The only problem is that to keep the company from having to be sold, Tommy must sell half a million orders using his father’s reputation. While Big Tom could "sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves", Tommy unfortunately "ate a lot of paint chips as a kid." Joining Tommy on his journey to save the company is Richard (David Spade), who could best be described as the polar opposite of Tommy.

The duo of Farley and Spade truly make for a surprising and hilarious combination. Spade offers the obvious/sarcastic arrogance of a character who is very intelligent, yet feels spited for not being allowed the luxuries of someone like Farley. Farley has lost so many brain cells that he simply doesn’t know whether he is being complimented or criticized.

This movie has so many memorable parts about it, and I doubt that anyone who may have watched it as a teenager didn’t go around saying "Son of a" and "holy schnikes" for at least a month afterwards. I loved Saturday Night Live back in the early 90's when it had a great cast including Farley and Spade, and would invite anyone who hasn’t watched the best of Chris Farley to do so. This movie was actually funnier than I remembered it being, despite the fact that some of the supporting cast isn’t very good, and the plot is really just something to allow a reason for Farley to be seen. 3 ½ out of 5 *’s.

My Random Thought For Tommy Boy: Callahan auto parts is located in Sandusky, Ohio, and I’m just curious if 1) anyone actually reads this blog, and 2) if anyone knows what else Sandusky, Ohio is famous for.

The Lookout (2007)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Matthew Goode

One of us is proud to present The Lookout. We will leave it to you to read below and find out who likes and who doesn't. It is rated R for language, violence, and some sex (which is overheard, but there's a peek at a couple of bums both male and female).

Mark-
I really wanted to like this movie, mostly because I am becoming more and more of a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but unfortunately this movie fails in far too many places. After a relatively small $16 million budget, one would think a film staring Gordon-Levitt, Isla Fisher, and Jeff Daniels would easily be able to earn back its production costs, but seeing that most of you are probably thinking I’ve never heard of this movie, the less than $5 million of total earnings confirms this films lack of noteworthiness.

The film begins with main character Chris (Gordon-Levitt) being a stupid teenager and causing a horrific car crash that kills two of his friends, leaves himself with severe memory damage, and another friend with an amputated leg. The film then flashes forward three years and we see the memory challenges that Chris has to live with on a daily basis. Chris lives with his blind friend Lewis (Daniels) whom he was matched up with through an agency of unknown specificity. Chris goes to classes to try and help rehabilitate his mental functioning, and works as a night janitor at a small town bank. When Chris suddenly runs into someone who knew him from the past, and is introduced to former dancer Luvlee Lemons (Fisher), and yes that is her characters name in this film, we shortly thereafter learn that their friendliness towards Chris has an alternative motive behind it.

There are so many holes in this film's plot that at times I was simply wondering what purpose was served by certain characters and scenes of the film. My greatest example of this is with Luvlee, and although we see her character leaving, we have no idea why or where she is going.

This film had some promise with its general conception, but unfortunately the lack of development beyond the general causes this movie to fail. 2 out of 5 *’s.

My Random Thought For The Lookout: Luvlee lemons...really??? That’s the best they could come up with?

Dan -
This movie intrigued me from the first time I heard about it. Not only is it a movie about a bank robbery, which is always a plus, but instead of all the parties involved going along with it (think Heat or Ocean's 11) the main character is manipulated into it. The mastermind behind the robbery is Matthew Goode, and you may remember him from such movies as Watchmen (he was Ozzymandias) and Leap Year (he was the Irish guy that Amy Adams falls for). He exploits Chris' injury as well as the insecurities he has about it. Side note: For being an Englishman, Matthew Goode has one of the more convincing American accents I've heard from a foreigner.

As far as movies go where a character has memory issues, this is second only to Memento in my opinion. That film is masterful in its approach of the effects of memory loss and the plot structure itself. If you haven't seen it, you need to. It's made by Christopher Nolan, who directed the most recent entries in the Batman franchise as well as Inception and The Prestige. Can you see a trend in the movies this guy likes to do? They all, including the Batman movies, mess with your head in one way or another.

I think the appeal of this character was that (MILD SPOILER ALERT!) he doesn't have a miraculous recovery at the end of the movie. There are movies where a character gets amnesia with a hit on the head, and then another hit will jar his memory back to normal. I appreciated that the movie allowed this to be (somewhat) grounded in reality. The ending was a little too convenient and tied up most loose ends in a neat metaphorical bow, but at least it doesn't solve all of the problems that were addressed which was nice.

I must not be too picky. Mark doesn't seem as generous in his star rating of the movies we watch as I am. Maybe that's because most of the movies we watch are ones that come from my Netflix queue or my personal DVD library instead of his. Or maybe it's because I look to movies for entertainment as much as I do for thought provoking commentary on society (i.e. fun movies get decent ratings from me even if they aren't good/great movies). It isn't intended to be one-sided or selfish that I pick most of the movies. And if it comes across that way I apologize first to Mark, and then to our readers. I promise from now on that Mark can choose the movies equally as much as I do.

I give this movie 4 stars out of 5. Admittedly, I am a kind of a sucker for heist movies, but I loved how the brain injury facilitated the heist. This movie also had Isla Fisher and I'm a sucker for her too.

10 Jaw Dropping Movie Moments

Lists. Every critic has them. The people almost demand them. Some are created to showcase the best, others the worst. We hope to provide our readers interesting lists on this site from time to time, including the obligatory top ten movies of the year when the time comes. We broke it up to five movies each, but we reserve the right in any future lists to have as many or as few as we see fit.

Dan – I couldn’t quite rank these movies from first to last, so I listed them alphabetically. I realize that some of them are also on Mark’s list, but we have our different reasons. And these are not the only movies that have elicited a reaction like this, but merely the first few that popped into my head. I also realize that these all revolve around action sequences, and I hope those who read this blog can see that I don’t prefer only action movies. I’d like to think that there is a well-rounded selection of movies reviewed on this site that fit at least a part of most people’s tastes. So without further ado:

THE DARK KNIGHT – It begins with the armored car transport of Harvey Dent and ends with the capture of the Joker. There was a hint of this scene in the trailer for the movie and I remember thinking that seeing a semi flip end over end would be cool to watch. But it was more than just the semi-truck flip. It was everything leading up to it. Seeing the Bat-Pod eject from the Tumbler and zip through people and in between cars only pumped me up for how it could end. And then the flip. Sure, it defies a few logistical issues, but it’s just so damn cool! And you gotta love the Joker’s reaction when he finally gets caught.

INCEPTION – You probably know the scene if you’ve seen it: The turning hallway/zero-gravity fight. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and some random bad-guy beat the crap out of each other in a hotel hallway while it rotates a full 360 degrees or more. My jaw was almost in my lap and I was giddy through the whole scene. I loved it for a few reasons: One – I have never seen anything like it before, even if it has been done in other movies. Two – Upon watching the DVD special features I learned that there were very few, if any, special effects used on this scene. The whole set was built in an airplane hangar and actually rotated! So it was up to the actors themselves to sell me on making it look real. And finally – Consider my mind blown by putting this scene in context of the movie itself; it’s a dream within a dream, and whenever something happens to the dreamer’s body in the original dream, it manifests itself physically in the second layer dream. See, just trying to explain it blows my mind all over again!

INDEPENDENCE DAY – The jaw drop happened when the aliens make their initial attack and destroy New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. I know, I know, most people don’t like this movie a whole lot especially those movie “elitists” that don’t appreciate a great summer popcorn movie. And the director of this movie, Roland Emmerich, has made some really stupid movies loaded with effects in hopes that plot and interesting characters would be overlooked (I’m looking at you 2012 and 10,000 BC). But let’s give a tiny amount of background here. I was 16 when this movie was released and thus not mature enough nor concerned with much beyond cool action and neat special effects. And this movie is loaded with both. I remember thinking then that it was my favorite movie of all time. Now fast forward 15 years, and having recently re-watched it (come on people, it was the 4^th of July!) I was still impressed as the effects held up quite well over time. I’ve now watched enough movies in the interim to appreciate a good think-piece or even (shudder) a documentary. So I do have some taste, however little it may be.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS – It happens at the climax of the battle of Helm’s deep when Gandalf arrives with the Riders of Rohan. It was the sweeping motion of the camera over the riders coming to the rescue coupled with the ethereal score of Howard Shore, and the almost Christian theme of a hero dressed in white leading an army of good against an army of evil. I remember I got chills as I watched it the first time. It was such an emotional payoff for me because of what took place immediately prior, where the heroes on the verge of defeat were going to meet their almost certain death with valiant bravery (boy do I sound like a nerd!). I sat in the theater simply in awe at how majestic it looked (not really helping my case for nerdiness here). It was just… incredible. This scene is moviemaking at its best.

THE MATRIX RELOADED – One of the greatest action sequences I’ve ever seen in any movie has got to be the freeway chase. Wow. I remember almost holding my breath watching it the first time because I had no idea how it would end. It still gets my blood pumping whenever I watch it. Car chases have been done almost to death in the movies and there are a lot of really good ones for comparison (Ronin, The Italian Job, Bullitt), but this movie mixed it up by adding a science fiction element to it of the Agents being able to control anyone inside the Matrix (except the good guys of course). Consequently there are lots of people on the freeway for them to assume control over. Lots of crashes and lots of exciting close calls really set this apart from most other car chases. What is it about slow-motion that can make a pretty cool action sequence look freakin' awesome? And let’s not forget Morpheus and an Agent to engaging in MMA on top of a moving semi-truck. Only when it ends with the Operator throwing his arms up in triumph while shouting “YES!” can you begin to relax a little.

Mark -  I chose to go the route of choosing the films as much as individual moments in film that were jaw dropping for me.  These are 5 of my favorite films and I didn't go into a lot of detail about the surprises and jaw dropping moments in them, simply because I don't want to give anything away if someone hasn't seen the film.

1) INCEPTION - I have to admit that the closer this movie came to being released, the more and more I wanted to see it. When I saw the first teaser for this movie, 6 months before it was actually released, I thought it looked cool but didn’t feel like it was something I would have to see right away. By the time Inception was released I knew I had to see it opening weekend. I saw it the second day it was out and was lucky enough to not know any more about it than what was shown on the previews. Many people feel that The Matrix was revolutionary in what it did, and for me Inception surpasses the steps they took and takes movies somewhere they have never been before.

2) THE USUAL SUSPECTS - How often is the saying, "the person you least expect" really a true statement? Nothing is better than watching a movie like The Usual Suspects and not know what to expect. The plot and story is compelling and captivating, and then to finally realize who Keyser Soze is at the end. This movie deserves to own the rights to, "the person you least expect."

3) A BEAUTIFUL MIND - I’m so happy that the trailer for this movie gave away so little about the film. I was so convinced that everything Russell Crowe’s character was seeing was real, and it was everyone else that was being deceived. Obviously the writers of this film took a lot of liberties in the adaptation and based on real life story of Dr. Nash, but this was definitely one of those movies where I left wondering how many of these events really happened.

4) THE DARK KNIGHT - Obviously the death of Heath Ledger played a huge role in creating hype about this movie, but did this movie, and Ledger in particular, ever live up to the hype. I can’t think of any movie where I have ever been so intrigued by a villain, to the point of where you almost find yourself rooting for The Joker rather than Batman. It is amazing to see a character who doesn’t care about anything or anyone, including himself.

5) ROAD TO PERDITION - This movie is probably a little shocking to see on this list, but there are so many things I loved about this film, and that just made me say, wow! There are simple shots like Tom Hanks walking in towards the camera as it zooms out, that was just breathtaking for me to watch. There are also more complex shots as the one where you see Jude Law’s character fire at Tom Hanks character and his son while they speed away from the diner. If you watch that shot in slow motion it is incredible to see the detail of the bullet and shattering glass of the car windshield. Those single shots were jaw dropping alone, but the movie doesn’t stop as it delivers a powerful double surprise ending.

My Random Thought/Honorable Mention:  There are two films that I will also remember for very specific reasons which will relate to none of you specifically, but hopefully you will have the same experience.
1) JUNO - There is a scene where Juno is sitting in the kitchen talking with her parents and it shows the kitchen clock in the background.  You're probably thinking so what?  Well...the clock in the background is a mushroom clock and it is the same clock that was in my kitchen growing up and into my late twenties, and only recently have my parents actually taken it down from their kitchen.
2) A SERIOUS MAN - Similar to the above mentioned film, in this film there is a scene where the family is sitting down to eat, and their brown and white plates with the flower pattern are the same plates that I grew up with also. 
While I realize that it is not that uncommon to see something in a movie that you actually own yourself, its the weird items that you grow up with and have never seen anyone else with that you find shocking to see in a film of all places.

Feel free to chime in here with disagreements, or maybe your own jaw dropping moments/movies.