A British American sports action film directed by Barry Skolnick, starring Vinnie Jones, David Hemmings, Ralph Brown, Jason Flemyng and Jason Statham.
A former soccer player is jailed for assaulting police. The prison governor and an inmate mobster pressure him into playing a soccer game of guards against convicts.
I usually don't like sports films, but a British one set in prison with guys from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000) is a different story. The plot was relatively standard of the genre, but held my attention. There was a wide array of characters, with various inmates and guards falling into stereotypes that, although typical, were amusing nonetheless. I really liked Jason Statham's character of the crazy kung fu master because it fit with his role in The Transporter series. The video featured clear visibility, correct exposures and lots of fast editing cuts. The audio was terrible. All of the dialogue was whispered and the music was at least three times as loud as it needed to be. They must have learned to mix audio by watching Russ Meyer flicks. Overall, this is all about the actors from other British crime films reprising their character roles. I rate it adequate.
An American sports action drama directed by David Winters, starring Josh Brolin, featuring skaters Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi and Steve Caballero.
A young man visits his skater friends to participate in a skateboarding competition. A rival skate gang decides not to like them, but the main character falls in love with the rival gang leader's sister.
It's a little bit like Romeo and Juliet on skateboards mixed with Rad (1986). The skating is very dated and there are some signature '80s moves that are no longer performed like the hand sliding downhill move. The style was classic '80s like I like, which basically made the movie. I have to question what age group this was targeted for because of the sex scene, driving and dangerous sporting activities, but also the ambiguous age of the characters, lack of jobs and "notes from mom" in the beginning. Teenage sex, mace jousting and skating with a broken arm would not be things to show younger, more impressionable viewers. The camera-work was actually good, as they got many creative angles to shoot the skateboarders (my favorite photography subject). Overall, I think it's worth watching if you like '80s flicks. I rate it good.
An American sports drama by Darren Aronofsky starring Mickey Rourke.An aging wrestler who is till wrestling long after his fame has a heart attack. He tries to reunite with his daughter and woo a stripper while continuing his chosen career.The plot and characters are awesome. The style perfectly conveys what the main character is feeling and the '80s metal soundtrack is definitely appreciated. When a movie is as simple and good as this there isn't much to say. I rate it best.
A Japanese sports drama directed by Fumihiko Sori.Young men compete at table tennis. The 2 main characters have known each other since they were children.The plot and characters were good. I liked the style a lot and the production value was alright. I'm not really one for sports films, but this one was pretty good. I'm rating it adequate.
A sports drama directed by Mike Tollin, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris.A retarded black man is found by a football coach near the field. The coach has the man help his team with their practices.Watching Cuba Gooding Jr. act retarded was funny for a few minutes, but it got old quick. There was too much football for my taste and I could tell that a heart-warming ending lurked at the conclusion of this film. I turned it off, so I'm rating it shit.
