What are they?
What are they?
My three would be:
1. Chariots of Fire - the training, racing and music are good but in a historical sense.
2. Jericho Mile - gritty, realistic (he's in prison for life so he trains to qualify for the OT).
3. Pre/Without LImits - Jared Leto or Billy Crudup - I'm a Without limits fan, very well done.
Honourable mention in not any order:
Personal Best - Murial Hemmingway (and Kenny Moore!) other olympians - pretty good
Running Brave - Billy Mills story (Robby Benson) - very good
Saint Ralph - good fantasy and historical look at Boston Marathon
On The Edge - Bruce Dern - good story of Bay to Breakers in CA, a bit dated
Running - Michael Douglas (pretty bad - he runs a marathon in NIke Waffle racers)
Bud Greenspan Documentaries on the Olympic Games - the 1960 - 80's are pretty good
My 2 cents. Enjoy with popcorn!
Brittany runs a marathon!
Rocky III. It's definitely Rocky III.
dodge ball wrote:
Brittany runs a marathon!
I went into that movie expecting some regurgitated hallmark card sentiment about overcoming obstacles. I was pleasantly surprised to see a movie that showed a pretty realistic depiction of someone becoming a runner. It mirrored my experience when I started out as an overweight teenager. Like it somehow conveyed all the little shifts that happen in your life when you commit to becoming healthier, not just obvious stuff. I really enjoyed it and yes I cried.
That's right LRC I admit it: I am a mid-pack hobby jogger MAN and I cried during Brittany Runs a Marathon. Come get me.
My three favorites:
1) Running Brave. Loved this movie and once got to see the real Billy Mills at a track meet in Sacramento.
2) Unbreakable: The Western States 100. I know, I know, it's about an ultramarathon, but this was really good.
3) Con Man: The True Story of an Ivy League Impostor. Fascinating story with a loose personal connection. This guy (who pretended to be a high school student but was actually an adult) won the Stanford Invitational cross country meet. I was in high school at the time. I was injured, but my teammates ran against this guy.
Tracktown.
218er wrote:
My three would be:
1. Chariots of Fire - the training, racing and music are good but in a historical sense.
2. Jericho Mile - gritty, realistic (he's in prison for life so he trains to qualify for the OT).
3. Pre/Without LImits - Jared Leto or Billy Crudup - I'm a Without limits fan, very well done.
Honourable mention in not any order:
Personal Best - Murial Hemmingway (and Kenny Moore!) other olympians - pretty good
Running Brave - Billy Mills story (Robby Benson) - very good
Saint Ralph - good fantasy and historical look at Boston Marathon
On The Edge - Bruce Dern - good story of Bay to Breakers in CA, a bit dated
Running - Michael Douglas (pretty bad - he runs a marathon in NIke Waffle racers)
Bud Greenspan Documentaries on the Olympic Games - the 1960 - 80's are pretty good
My 2 cents. Enjoy with popcorn!
Move Greenspan to the top, and then "meh" on everything else aside from Chariots of Fire--lots of stuff dealt with in the movie such as professionalism in sports and anti-Semitism.
ya know wrote:
dodge ball wrote:
Brittany runs a marathon!
I went into that movie expecting some regurgitated hallmark card sentiment about overcoming obstacles. I was pleasantly surprised to see a movie that showed a pretty realistic depiction of someone becoming a runner. It mirrored my experience when I started out as an overweight teenager. Like it somehow conveyed all the little shifts that happen in your life when you commit to becoming healthier, not just obvious stuff. I really enjoyed it and yes I cried.
That's right LRC I admit it: I am a mid-pack hobby jogger MAN and I cried during Brittany Runs a Marathon. Come get me.
Having at one time coached a lot of women who are far more like Brittany than Kara Goucher, I agree. I think too many folks here who are "natural" runners (and actually all humans run and then we give it up) don't get the struggle others have.
Running transformed her in so many ways. It gave her the confidence to not be a guy's semen receptacle. (The scene where the guy in the bar gives her some napkins to put under her knees was a tough one--so many guys are pigs, and it hurts the rest of us).
So two thumbs up.
The Golden Hour:
Forest Gump
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Gay Man Love. Not that there's anything wrong with that. wrote:
Rocky III. It's definitely Rocky III.
No...it's Rocky IV - the scenes will Stallone running in the snow & Drago running on the indoor track & treadmill are awesome!
https://youtu.be/b6w4XtsfyVo1. The Jericho Mile
2. Chariots of Fire
3. Free to Run
4. McFarland USA
5. Running Brave
6. Race
Most of my favorites have already been listed, but there is one that has slipped through the cracks of time. It is called "The Games" and used to show up on late night TV back in the 1970s. I need to see it again to see if it holds up to time, but back then I found it very inspirational. It follows four men training for the Olympic marathon. Ryan O'Neal plays the hard-partying American runner.
A couple of others that are "free" on Amazon Prime and worth the time investment . . . not claiming they are among the three best:
Fast Women: Documentary about about a group of Arizona women training to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Trials.
The Long Green Line: Documentary about Joe Newton and York High School's attempt to win the 2005 Illinois state title after the team is hit with a number of setbacks.
Cliffy: An Australian made-for-TV drama/comedy based on the true story of Cliff Young, an unknown 61-year old farmer, and his participation in the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon in 1983. I was not expecting much but it was surprisingly watchable.
[Tracktown - mentioned by someone above - is creepy and horrendous]
The Games (1970)
City Slickers Can't Stay With Me: The Coach Bob Larsen Story.... educational and inspirational.
Cool Running
Is there any good books on Billy Mills?