Scoring at the Movies

Put on your uniform, control your temper and don't swear around your adopted kid because---as Paul Douglas learned in 1951---there are Angels In The Outfield.

 

This is the oldest movie we've ever covered, it's also our first black-and-white film and it has to be the most religious. Then again, who CAN'T relate to hearing a heavenly voice and then taking advantage of divine assistance so they can win baseball games? It's a Pittsburgh miracle!

 

Speaking of fantasy, both versions of Miracle On 34th Street cropped up a lot because there are many comparisons, particularly in the "courtroom" scene. We've got quite a bit to say about Clarence Brown's pseudo-classic that inspired Disney's goofy 1994 remake, so pour a gallon of ketchup on your steak, begin an improbable romance with Janet Leigh and turn yourself into a better person so an orphan will love you as we yap about Angels & Pirates.

 

You can contact us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @scoringatmovies) or you can email us ([email protected])

To celebrate our 100th episode, we decided to go back to the beginning. The Mighty Ducks was the subject of our very first podcast and it was passably entertaining, so surely this sequel could hit some of the same heights, right? Well, no.

 

This is pretty much the same movie all over again, only far worse. The emotion in the Gordon/Charlie relationship is just not there and all the attempts at comedy are dreadful failures. As for the story, the Ducks...Team USA...whatever travel to Los Angeles for the Goodwill Games and run up against the powerful Iceland "kids". Will our overdogs (or overducks) overcome? Will they?! When you have a secret weapon like the knucklepuck and a bunch of wacky new recruits for Emilio Estevez to coach, it's a foregone conclusion.

So miss important commitments while you rollerblade forlornly on the boardwalk, but be sure to stick our talk about D2 in your earbuds as you skate around and contemplate the meaning of your life.

 

King Richard is the timeliest movie we've ever covered because it was released just 4 months ago (not 3, as we said in the podcast) and it's up for a slew of Academy Awards on March 27th. Will Smith will likely win an Oscar for Best Actor and he clearly loved telling this story, but director Reinaldo Marcus Green's movie is just "The Richard Williams Experience". A biopic about Venus & Serena Williams still needs to be made because this isn't it. On the very bright side, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton play the tennis phenoms in their preteen days and they're quite good in the film, as is Aunjanue Ellis as their mother, although the girls & their 3 half-sisters also have to play it like they're the beatific Von Trapp kids no matter the obstacle. Is that real? When you're this competitive and this driven to be the best? When you aren't rich and you aren't white, but you're trying to break into an elitist, white sport? When you have a "tennis dad" who's demanding and borderline abusive? We dig into all that. In any case, you too can be a soothsayer about the remarkable success of your kids, but make those pre-birth predictions while hearing us volley back and forth about King Richard.

 

If you thought we were way off the mark or if you thought we nailed it, drop us a line on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @scoringatmovies) and/or email us ([email protected])

We've covered them out of order, but Rocky III represents our 4th time reviewing an entry in the Balboa boxing saga.

 

This 3rd one is a lot of fun, but it's packed with flaws we couldn't help nitpicking. One big problem is that, despite the financial success and the movie's lasting fame, this one (and IV) has Sylvester Stallone at his least-interesting. The guilt-ridden champ has become corporate, well-dressed and even dull compared to the lovable underdog who had an original way of stringing words together in the 1st two films (and, interestingly enough, also in later Rockys). Talia Shire, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith & Carl Weathers are back once again to love and support Sly, but Mr. T was of course the breakthrough newcomer who's too busy being angry to feel pity for fools.

 

So don't let your Stallion self get all civilized. Just fire up Eye Of The Tiger on your device, somehow beat your more-talented trainer in a footrace on the beach and then repeatedly punch a hard-punching battler in the face while we gab about Rocky III.

 

You can find us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @scoringatmovies) and you can also email us ([email protected]) or find all our episodes on our website ([email protected]).

Since the 2022 Winter Olympic Games are winding down, we decided to talk about Eddie The Eagle.

 

Taron Egerton & Hugh Jackman make for a likable combo in this ski-jumping biopic. They and the other actors are responsible for why the movie is even as good as it is. We've seen this paint-by-numbers story so many times before. Cool Runnings is a good comparison. Ironically, both films are based on true stories that actually happened at the same Winter Olympics in Calgary. These are inspirational stories of determined underdogs who have more far more passion than talent. Their enthusiasm is infectious, but Dexter Fletcher's movie also has a small sense of Rudy-esque entitlement.

 

Perhaps poetically, in an Eddie The Eagle touch, we came up short of Chris' goal to make this a 61-minute episode. So throw on a winter jacket, put away your whiskey flask and pour a tall glass of milk as we show you our moderate Olympic spirit.

 

If you like to send messages to people on Twitter, look for us (@moviefiend51 and @scoringatmovies) or email us at [email protected]

Oh, what could have been. George Clooney's football flick had the potential to be an excellent homage to an old-timey rat-a-tat rom-com. However, just like so many comedies we've covered over the years, Leatherheads is muddled, has tonal problems and, worst of all, isn't particularly funny.

 

What's really lacking is a script that's worthy of the cast and the talented pros behind the camera. We also wondered if Renee Zellweger was up to the challenge of coyly bantering with her co-stars. Also, couldn't Clooney have found a better way to use John Krasinski's charm?

 

The production design is outstanding though and we always enjoy George being his movie-star self, so there are definitely things to admire. Anyway, America needs its (phony) heroes, so if you've pulled a Homer, then cover it up as you listen to us poke a few pigs in our Leatherheads chat.

 

Will Ferrell starred in a sports movie for 4 years in a row in the mid-2000s, but this is the only time he seems like he was desperate to make us laugh. Even in some of his zanier non-sports projects, it didn't usually feel like he was straining this hard. Being saddled with a flimsy co-star like Jon Heder doesn't help, but the jokes just don't work as well as they do in Talladega Nights or even Semi-Pro.

 

Blades Of Glory is more ridiculous than it is funny and it doesn't feel like the novice writers & directors fully committed to the ludicrous stuff. If you're going to make a movie about gay panic, then just let the two goofy guys take things to their logical conclusion and have them, well, get it on already! As for the figure skating, it isn't well-depicted, but the F/X-laden skating scenes also aren't as funny as the filmmakers think they are.

 

Okay, we obviously didn't love Blades Of Glory, but we had a pretty good time talking about it. So put on that flashy costume and learn to love the man-child who was once your enemy because our podcast about the World Wintersport Games (DON'T SAY OLYMPICS!) awaits you.

 

You can say some words to us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @scoringatmovies) and you can always email us (scoringatthemovies.gmail.com)

This is the 5th time we've covered a Kevin Costner film, so that makes him the undisputed champion of this channel. Unlike in Tin Cup though, he's not the one playing the sport.

 

As the high school coach of a track & field team in McFarland (and if you're not Canadian, you can add "U.S.A." to that title), Costner is the older mentor in a movie filled with young Hispanic characters. It's a likable film, but McFarland is similar to many other Disney movies... and it isn't always a favourable comparison.

 

While Niki Caro does a lovely job of filming her diverse cast in sun-bleached California, the story she's telling is a little cliche. Sometimes, it's a lot cliche. Still, kudos to the director and her writers for addressing those lame "immigrants took our jobs!" complaints by showing how these produce-pickers work harder every day than most of us ever have or ever will.

 

So find your pace, Blanco, and overlook the second-act flaws in this gentle movie about family, friendship and cross-country running.

 

Our final episode of 2021 is one of the best Bond movies of all time. 

 

Casino Royale doesn't rely on gadgets or corny humour. Instead, it's slick, smart, modern and the action sequences are exciting, especially during the parkour chase early on. The casting of Daniel Craig surprised many naysayers, but he was always a great fit for a new 007. Outside of Connery, he's been as good as Bond gets. Mads Mikkelsen is also terrific as the poker-playing villain who likes to torture super-spies below the belt and Eva Green is simply one of the greatest Bond girls ever, especially when you think about the secret her complex character is hiding. As a bonus, Professor Chris takes all of us to poker school as he breaks down the Texas Hold 'Em scenes. The card games are fun, but they're often a bit laughable.

 

So avoid crashing your cool sports car and REALLY avoid falling in love with the wrong woman. Just wrap a few Christmas gifts and enjoy a martini or two while our chat about Casino Royale keeps you company.

 

We can be reached with something called a tweet (@moviefiend51 and @scoringatmovies) and you can certainly email us too ([email protected])

The Bad News Bears might not have been the original story of a surly old man coaching plucky underdogs who bond as they improve, but it at least nailed the concept. It also seems to have created a template that's been emulated on a regular basis ever since. But is Michael Ritchie's crass '70s baseball classic actually funny? Well, not so much. The anti-everybody rants Tanner often spews out might have been hilarious to packed houses 45 years ago, but they're just cringey these days. The baseball is pretty good though and the movie DOES work quite well in the sincere dramatic scenes between Walter Matthau & Tatum O'Neal. 

 

So don't climb a tree in shame. Just recruit a couple of superstars and keep drinking a variety of beers until you pass out on the grass as we discuss the sandlot flick about Bad News Buttermaker and his Bears.

 

We can be contacted on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @scoringatmovies) and also via email ([email protected])