Hello Sports Fans and Movie Fans Alike!

September is Back-to-School time with our Sports Movies this month. With the exception of a great film about the World Series and our on-going Rocky Sequel Challenge, this month's picks take place in the non-pro School based sports world. Still, there are many great Movies and Sports to choose from: Football, Basketball, Hockey, Wrestling and even Chess!

As always vote for your favorite Sports Movie from this month's picks, and then choose your favorite "SportsLore Favorite Sports Movie of the Year" from the Top Ten in November and December.

Don't Forget to Rewind!
Your Pal, Hal

REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000) – Newly hired Black coach leads newly integrated high-school football team to victory in the south during the civil rights period of the early 1970's.

A very inspiring true story, an excellent soundtrack and superb acting makes this a must see family film. (PG-13)
DENZEL WASHINGTON, WILL PATTON, WOOD HARRIS, RYAN HURST, DONALD FAISON, CRAIG KIRKWOOD, ETHAN SUPLEE, KIP PARDUE, HAYDEN PANETTIERE

LIKE MIKE (2002) – Calvin is a young orphan who dreams of becoming a basketball star. Wearing a pair of found sneakers with the mysterious initials "MJ" tagged in them, Calvin's game becomes so good that he lands a pro gig as the youngest player age wise on the Las Angeles Knights basketball team! These Magical sneakers make him like "Mike".

The odds on Calvin's other dream of getting adopted into a real family has increased greatly, as well, but many of the adoptive parents only seem interested in him for the money that he is now pulling in.

Can Calvin rise to the top of the NBA and retain his dream of belonging to a real family? (PG)
"LIL" BOW WOW, MORRIS CHESTNUT, JONATHAN LIPNICKI, ROBERT FORESTER, CRISPIN GLOVER, EUGENE LEVY

KARATE KID (1984) – Daniel, a high school kid newly transplanted to California, finds himself at odds with the local Karate bullies. Befriending the Japanese-American handyman in his low-rent digs, Daniel convinces him to teach him Karate to defend himself.

Mr. Myogi agrees to teach Daniel martial arts, in his own special style, but he insists that "Daniel-San" meet his tormentors in tournament rather than on the streets. As their training continues, Myogi and Daniel develop more of a Father-Son relationship than that of Student and Master.

Daniel-San's final battle in tournament against the Cobra-Kai bullies and their all-or-nothing is very exciting, but that would be expected from the same guy that directed the first Rocky.

Another great family sports movie to watch with your kids. (PG)
RALPH MACHCHIO, NORIYUKI "PAT" MORITA, ELISABETH SHUE, RANDEE HELLER, MARTIN KOVE

RUDY (1983) – Daniel Ruetiger, AKA, "Rudy" is a little guy, and below average student, who had always dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame.

The cards are stacked against him: he's not football-big, he's not college-smart, and he's not Notre Dame-rich. But Rudy's rugged determination to follow his dream propels him to improve his grades, and to get a scholarship, but he languishes on the sidelines of his beloved Fighting Irish. His team spirit serves as an inspiration to the team who eventually supports him to join them on the gridiron.

The ending makes the watching of the movie worth the time. You can guess the close of the film, but any movie that makes you smile is worth it. This is one to make you grin.

Inspired by a true story, from the director of "Hoosiers." (PG)
SEAN ASTIN, NED BEATTY, CHARLES S. DUTTON, LILI TAYLOR, ROBERT PROSKY

SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER (1993) – Sports Parents are Sports Parents, whether it's Little League or the National Chess Tournament.

When young Josh shows no interest in being involved in any sport, his father is disheartened. After all, the son of a sports writer ought to be involved in some kind of manly sport. As Josh develops an unusually strong talent for Chess, his dad dives in, hiring the best Chess Coach and propelling Josh into the highly competitive world of Chess Tourneys.

Dad and Coach relentlessly train Josh to be the next Bobby Fischer, nearly sapping all the fun out of the kid's love for the game. Josh would be just as happy playing the speed-chess he's found on the sidewalks of Central Park, where he and his mother find a mentor to bring the spark back into his game.

If there is such a thing as an exciting chess scene that sends chills down your spine, this film has it! When the young man learns to play the player, not the board. (PG)
JOE MONTEGNA, MAX POMERANC, JOAN ALLEN, BEN KNIGSLY, LAURENCE FISHBOURNE

THE MIGHTY DUCKS (1992) – The movie that revitalized the genre of Guy Forced to Coach Outcast Kids on a Sports Team, that "The Bad News Bears" originated years before.

A far better family movie than "Bears", this time, it’s a Hockey Team of misfits and undesirables being lead by an unwilling coach sentenced to community service for drunk diving.

He eventually develops a respect for the teamwork that the kids have and leads them to victory.

The movie's deserved success spawned several of it's own sequels and so many poor imitations, that it still stands out as an original. (PG)
EMILLIO ESTEVES, JOSS ACKLAND, LANE SMITH, HEIDI KING

SCHOOL TIES (1982) – Brendan Fraser stars as a working-class high school quarterback who receives a scholarship to a wealthy Catholic Prep School.

All goes swimmingly and he becomes the new Big Man On Campus, right up until his teammates and his new gal find out he is Jewish.

A powerful movie look at Anti-Semitism in the 1950's. (PG-13)
BRENDAN FRASER, MATT DAMON, CHRIS O'DONNELL, BEN AFFLECK, AMY LOCANE

VISION QUEST (1985) – High School wrestler, Logan, in an attempt to win the Washington State Championships must actually loose weight in order to take on the best wrestler in the territory. All his friends think he's crazy to drop weight to fight this one guy.

An older-woman artist, who is boarding in his Dad’s house, may hamper his Quest. Then again, she may be one his biggest supporters. He falls for her big-time, but she's just passing through. Now he's got to pump up his determination to win at all costs.

Unfortunately, the highlight of this film is seeing young, Pre-Material-Girl Madonna singing in a nightclub. (R)
MATTHE MODINE, LINDA FIONRTINO, RONNY COX, DAPHNE ZUNIGA

EIGHT MEN OUT (1988) – The 1919 White Sox Scandal to throw the World Series is explored in this fine period piece by Independent Filmmaker John Sayles.

This conspiracy ended the career of Shoeless Joe Jackson, and shook baseball to its very core. But Shoeless Joe did all right, after all, he ended up in the "Field of Dreams"

A fine cast gives great performances. This film is another must see. (PG)
JOHN CUSACK, D.B. SWEENY, CHRISTOPHER LLOYD, CHARLIE SHEEN

ROCKY IV (1985) – Rocky travels to the USSR to do battle with the scientifically state-trained powerhouse Ivan Drago, who killed Rocky's friend and trainer Apollo Creed, in an exhibition match in the US.

Their training could not be more different, with Ivan, in his state-run lab of professional trainers leaving Rocky in primitive conditions pulling logs through the Siberian Snow in an ox-yoke.

In the match, Rocky's strong determination to prevail has the even most stalwart of Russian's boxing fans cheering for him.

It is said that Ronald Reagan forced the Soviets to tear down the Berlin Wall; I say no…it was ROCKY! (PG)
SYLVESTER STALLONE, TALIA SHIRE, BURT YOUNG, DOLPH LUNDGREN, BRIGETTE NIELSON