10. π¬ Top 50 sports movies: Nos. 50β41
This week, our resident film buff Jeff Tracy will be unveiling his Top 50 sports movies, beginning today with Nos. 50β41.
50. Bend It Like Beckham (2002) A charming story about teenage angst and cultural identity. Plus, Keira Knightley's first starring role. What's not to like?
49. The Longest Yard (1974) The remake is great, but it can't touch prime Burt Reynolds as disgraced QB Paul Crewe in one of the earliest entries into the sports movie Hall of Fame.
48. Rush (2013) Ron Howard brings to life the Formula One rivalry between brash Brit James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and calculating Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel BrΓΌhl).
47. Warrior (2011) The characters are honest, the acting is terrific and the fight scenes are brutal, elevating it above most "underdog fighter" movies.
46. Million Dollar Baby (2004) This movie cleaned up at the Oscars, winning four awards including Best Picture. I'm still angry I couldn't reach through the screen to move that stool, though.
45. Varsity Blues (1999) Toxic masculinity flows as freely as Billy Bob's maple syrup in this ode to Texas high school football, but Jonathan Moxon (James van der Beek) is the quiet hero we need in this re-watchable classic.
44. BASEketball (1998) It hasn't aged the best, but the South Park creators' lone project that they neither wrote, directed, nor produced is still wildly entertaining.
43. Blue Crush (2002) Yes, really. Not only is the surfing action epic β it's quite realistic, too.
42. Little Giants (1994) Becky "Icebox" O'Shea's decision to drop the pompoms and become the person she was born to be is a storyline worth revisiting over and over again.
41. Bring it On (2000) Gabrielle Union's turn as rival cheerleader Isis is worth the price of admission alone. This movie gets at least eight out of 10 spirit fingers.
Coming tomorrow: 40β31