My 60 Favorite Rom Coms

First of all, making this list was much more daunting than I originally thought. If it gives you an idea this list started as just a top 30. Anyway, I love romantic comedies especially the made-for-tv movies. One of the best parts is that most of these movies have women as the lead. Also, trying to decide the order between my top 3 was one of the hardest choices I've ever made.

Okay here we go. (Potential spoilers below) I've listed my favorite rom coms in order starting with number 60...

60. My Best Friend's Wedding

60. My Best Friend's Wedding - Even though this is Julia Roberts I find this sometimes hard to watch due to how difficult it is for her to let go of him.

59. Two Weeks Notice - Do-gooder tries to (and does) change a rich selfish Hugh Grant? I'm there. Plus, he's good during a bathroom emergency or if you're super drunk.

58. Dirty Dancing - Swoon. I still listen to this soundtrack all the time. This movie is great. Nobody leaves baby... well you know how it goes.

57. Miss Congeniality - My second Sandra Bullock of the list. This one is lower down because he dumps her over the phone in the sequel. Lame. But, props for him falling for a badass lady.

56. My Big Fat Greek Wedding - I do love this movie but only the first 30- 40 mins are about them actually falling for each other and that's what I like best about these movies. If that's news to you with this one, re-read the title.

55. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

55. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging - Cute, fun and charming. It's super relatable. I think about this movie every time I trim my eyebrows honestly.

54. How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days - They have good chemistry but when she's in the process of trying to "lose" him by being super annoying she's well... super annoying.

53. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - I mean Kostas is pretty hot. Plus, I really related to all of them except for Blake Lively because I'm not a tall, blonde, athletic goddess.

52. Notting Hill - For some reason I always forget this movie exists. It's sweet but I'm not totally sold on the concept or the chemistry of Julia and Hugh. Worth a watch though if you like the genre.

51. Bridget Jones's Diary - Starting to realize how many Hugh Grant flix are on here. This one is higher because of Colin Firth and liking you just as you are.

50. Drive Me Crazy

50. Drive Me Crazy - Yes, like the Britney song (which is in the movie). Melissa Joan Hart lives next door to Adrian Grenier. Think She's All That but gender swapped basically. Also, this was written by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars, iZombie) so extra points for that.

49. Love Actually - Everyone LOVES this movie but I'm not too crazy about it ACTUALLY. (See what I did there??). I remember the depressing story lines much more than the positive ones. Cheating on your wife was one and loving your best friend's wife and telling her was another? Pass.

48. 13 Going On 30 - I really like their chemistry together and relate to Jenna throughout the story. Another good soundtrack too.

47. The Prince & Me - I love how ambitious Paige is. This time the guy has to change to be with her and it's refreshing to see. Plus she gives up being a princess because her dreams mean more to her than that lifestyle. YES! Why aren't there more movies like this?

46. The House Bunny - Anna Faris being excellent, as usual. It's charming and cute. I like the lessons that everyone learns in this movie, basically be your weirdo self and love it.

45. Moonstruck

45. Moonstruck - This is one of my mom's favorite movies and thus mine too. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful Cher and Nicolas Cage are together. Worth a watch.

44. Timer - Anya from Buffy stars in this and the concept interested me. I've seen it a couple times. I enjoyed thinking about what it would be like if you knew down to the second when you'd meet your soulmate.

43. Kate & Leopold - We reviewed this movie on my podcast and the awareness of the plot holes took me out of this movie a bit. I still love Hugh though.

42. What A Girl Wants - Cute British boy immediately gives this movie some points. I was all about Amanda Bynes' rom coms when she was in her prime.

41. The Princess Diaries - Michael + Mia = Love. He loved her before she was a princess so... yeah. Swoon. This is such a fun movie.

40. The Wedding Planner

40. The Wedding Planner - Hot male pediatricians everywhere waited on steep inclined streets for J Lo's heel to get stuck in a man hole cover. Also, brown M& Ms and statues where the penis has fallen off.

39. No Reservations - I am a big fan of Food Network so this movie combines two of my favorite things. I'd eat at Aaron Eckhart's restaurant any day.
 
38. Easy A - Emma Stone finds herself and meets a chill dude who doesn't judge her like everyone else does. Go Woodchucks!

37. The Lake House - A magic mail box connecting Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, check. Can you truly know someone just through letters? Perhaps.

36. Beastly - I hold Beauty and the Beast near and dear to my heart (although wouldn't necessarily say it's a rom com so it's not on this list) and this movie tells a varying take on the story. This movie is a modern high school flick where an egomaniac learns a lesson by no longer being handsome.

35. She's All That

35. She's All That - Laney doesn't put up with anyone's crap and I love that. She's great and Freddie Prinze Jr. makes a grand romantic gesture at her pool with 90's music.

34. Sweet Home Alabama - What a hardship it must be to be pursued by two different attractive men at the same time. Returning to your roots for a divorce then falling back in love, wonderful.

33. Chasing Liberty - Even the President's daughter wants to be able to date and have some freedom. Just make sure to bring along a hot secret service agent for protection.

32. The Cutting Edge - Start off as enemies and end up as friends lovers. Hockey player? Meet high strung ice skating champion.

31. Tangled - She wants some freedom and she's got a lot of hair to deal with along the way to following her dreams. The lanterns and the song together are basically perfect.

30. Stardust

30. Stardust - I love how they get to know each other and start off bickering then realize that perhaps they were always meant to meet and fall in love.

29. 10 Things I Hate About You - There's a lot of moving parts in this movie but they work well together. Heath Ledger serenading Julia Stiles on the football field. Need I say more?

28. Ella Enchanted - Based on the book, Ella doesn't put up with anything from anyone. She knows what's right and wants to follow her noble heart. Also, singing in a bar and a sweet fireside kiss add some points for this movie.

27. What's Your Number - This is such a funny and enjoyable movie where being unique and artistic and yourself is the best way to get what you truly want. Plus, Spock's a vegan?

26. After the Ball - This movie is like Cinderella meets She's the Man and it's wonderful. It's a cute made for tv movie that excels with fashion and pursuing your dreams at whatever cost.

25. Beauty & the Briefcase

25. Beauty & the Briefcase - The best thing about this movie is that the men are disposable instead of the women. Hilary Duff is always charming and apparently it's super easy to get a job you're not qualified for.

24. Cloud 9 - One of my favorite Disney Channel Original Movies where a snowboarder learns that she's not as good as she thought but puts the time and energy into improving. Also finding a cute but somewhat cranky guy along the way who believes in her.

23. The Proposal - You wouldn't think this movie would work but it totally does. Ryan and Sandra have great chemistry together and Betty White is excellent.

22. The Duff - Don't change too much. Just enough to better yourself but keep what makes you, you. Unless you're a douchey popular guy who does need to change. Nerdy girls everywhere rejoice.

21. The Holiday - Sometimes when you need to just get away, you'll find love in unexpected places. When Jude Law cries at the end back at Cameron Diaz's door, I fell in love with this movie.

20. 27 Dresses

20. 27 Dresses - James Marsden. James Marsden. James Marsden. Also, a passive aggressive girl who doesn't know how to say no to people until it breaks her and she ruins her sister's wedding.

19. She's The Man - Sometimes the love of soccer means taking drastic measures. Worst case scenario? You'll end up with Channing Tatum as your often shirtless roommate.

18. Just Go With It - Yes, it's Adam Sandler but this is one of guilty pleasure movies that I just really enjoy. It's funny and sweet and I stayed in the same hotel when I went to Hawaii once.

17. Letters to Juliet - This movie desperately makes me want to go to Italy like ASAP. I'd happily spend my days living in Italy and writing letters as Juliet.

16. Runaway Bride - Julia Roberts and Richard Gere together again, this is my favorite of theirs. She could probably start her own Pier One with all the wedding gifts she's received.

15. My Fake Fiancé

15. My Fake Fiancé - Speaking of wedding gifts, sometimes you just need some stuff to fill your apartment. Talk about chemistry and comedy, these guys are great together.

14. While You Were Sleeping - I think it's a fun premise and two guys wanting to be with her because she's a genuinely good person and his family loves her is a wonderful message. But like, don't pretend you're engaged to someone in a coma that you don't know.

13. A Cinderella Story - Her speech to her stepmom and then to Chad Michael Murray at the end gives me life. She's independent and he has to step up or ship out.

12. Penelope - James McAvoy won't judge you if you have a pig nose. He'll like you anyway then pine for you until you get it together to go find him and confess your love to his humble, musical self.

11. Christmas Romance Movies- The Spirit of Christmas - This past holiday season I discovered Christmas romance movies of which there are many. One of my favorites is The Spirit of Christmas or A Christmas Kiss. Holiday seasons really bring lovers together. Especially when they're two people who don't really like each other at first then bond over Christmas then fall in love when they don't even realize it.

10. When Harry Met Sally

10. When Harry Met Sally - Truly a classic. Can a man and a woman actually be friends without any feelings? This movie is magical. I'll have what she's having.

9. The Princess Bride - Another classic. It's a whimsical, fantasy romance and I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like this movie. If you don't like it I say to you, "BOOO!!"

8. Pretty In Pink - This is my favorite John Hughes movie as I think the character development is more enjoyable to watch here. Also, my distaste for James Spader stems 150% from his character in this movie.

7. Alice - It's a Syfy mini-series take on Alice In Wonderland. Yes there's cute boys. Yes there's romance. Yes there's Kathy Bates as the Queen of Hearts. Oh man, the end with Hatter coming to our world for her gives me so much joy.

6. Clueless - Do I really need to say anything about this movie? Paul Rudd is in fine, swoon worthy form. I think we all wanted to live in Cher's house and also to have her amazing closet.

5. Sleepless In Seattle

5. Sleepless in Seattle - It's top five but gets docked points because they don't actually spend much time together during the movie. It's still sweet and I'm pretty sure people still meet for a romantic gesture on top of the Empire State Building.

4. Never Been Kissed

4. Never Been Kissed - I've seen this movie probably 87 times at least. I so relate to Josie and her journey. Always appreciate me some Michael Vartan. This is a pretty perfect rom com if you ask me.

3. Emma

3. Emma - There's a few different versions of Emma but my favorite is the BBC mini-series from 2009. It's a great adaptation of Austen and the casting is wonderful. Their journey to discovering how their friendships leads them to love (and has all along) is simply heartwarming to watch. Clueless is also an adaptation of Emma if you didn't know.

2. Pride & Prejudice

2. Pride and Prejudice - I still kind of think these should be tied for first but that wouldn't be fair. I sat for a good 10 minutes deciding between this one and my number one pick. It ultimately came down to the comedy aspect to which this one has less than the other. Nonetheless, P & P is my favorite book of all time. I've seen most movie versions of this (Bride & Prejudice is also great). But this Keira Knightley version is simply the best. She's a great Lizzy. He's a great Darcy. Their chemistry, acting and just how they look together is perfect. When he comes to her in the field at the end. Or when he confesses his feelings in the rain to her and she rejects him. UGH. I'm gonna have to go re-watch this movie now for the 500th time after talking about it.

1. You've Got Mail

1. You've Got Mail - The dearest to my heart and a movie I could watch on repeat forever, You've Got Mail is simply my favorite. It has comedy and romance. It's perfectly crafted by the late, great Nora Ephron (who inspired my career choice to want to make movies). It shows that becoming friends is vital to creating a successful relationship. Just being two attractive people is not enough. We get to know them together and see them go from disliking each other to tolerating each other to then becoming friends and ultimately falling in love. It might be dated in some ways but I don't care. I cry every time when she sees him at the end. I always think about what it would've been like for her falling for Tom Hanks but thinking she was still waiting to meet someone else. Then it ends up to actually be him. His speech at the end outside of her doorstep is absolutely wonderful. I've linked it below so you can watch. This movie is perfection. Also, golden retriever.

Hope you enjoyed my list and maybe some of these movies will help you pick your next rom com to watch!

I Haven't Been Posting Because I Started a Podcast

It's been awhile since I've posted on here but it's because I've started a podcast! My 2 friends and I discuss time travel in movies and release new episodes bi-weekly. We started the podcast on back to the future day (October 21, 2015), which is the day that Marty goes to the future in BTTF 2 so you know we take this seriously. We get into the science behind the time travel, the consequences and its relevance to the film as well as some non-time travel related notes we may have noticed in the movie. It's a lot of fun and creates great discussions between us that brings up questions that you may not have thought about before.

Look it's our floating heads in space!!

Movies we have done so far include:

1. Back to the Future
2. Back to the Future 2
3. Timecrimes
4. The Time Traveler's Wife
5. The Time Machine
6. Project Almanac
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
8. Looper
9. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
10. Edge of Tomorrow / Live. Die. Repeat.

A few upcoming movies we're doing (but don't worry there's A LOT more):

1. Star Trek
2. Deja Vu
3. Men In Black 3
4. Predestination
5. About Time

So, apologies for not posting anything new recently but PLEASE check out the podcast to hear some new content from me and if you have any suggestions about films you'd like us to cover let us know.

I've posted the links to listen for free below: 

SOUNDCLOUD

ITUNES

STITCHER

Also follow us on social media:

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THANKS!! :)

Guilty Pleasure Series #4: Frozen and Enchanted

It's time for another addition to my Guilty Pleasure Series! Check out my previous guilty pleasure movie posts: #1 Mean Girls and Rat Race, #2 Ben Stiller movies and #3 Cadet Kelly and Wild Child. This time I chose 2 Disney movies that might not seem very similar at first but let's take a closer look...

FROZEN (2013)

Frozen movie poster

(SPOILERS) In case for some reason you live in a cave and didn't hear of this giant movie, it's about two sister Anna and Elsa whose parents have died. Elsa has ice powers and Anna knows nothing about it because Elsa closes herself off due to her dangerous powers. Anna meets Hans at Elsa's coronation and they decide to get married and tell Elsa who gets mad and loses control of her powers, runs away, sets off an eternal winter, etc. Anna goes to find her and meets Kristoff and Sven and they help her find Elsa. They come across Olaf who Elsa created and is a living being. That part gets glossed over. She literally created a living thing.... anyway they find her and she wants nothing to do with them and she strikes Anna in the heart with her magic and Kristoff takes her to the creepy trolls who say she needs an act of true love to cure her. Hans and team go to hunt down Elsa and manage to capture her. She escapes but Hans tells her that Anna is dead when really Anna is just freezing to death until Olaf helps her. Hans has revealed himself to be the bad guy, wanting to take over their kingdom because he'll never get one of his own. He leaves Anna for dead because he is not her "true love" so he doesn't kiss her. Olaf helps Anna to realize that Kristoff is her actual true love so she runs to find him to cure her frozen heart. Then she sees Hans about to kill Elsa so she goes to stop him and is then frozen solid. However, her act of bravery was an act of true love for her sister so Anna becomes unfrozen. Elsa also realizes that love can unfreeze all her winter mess. Anna and Kristoff kiss and all is happy ever after. 

Kristoff, Olaf and Anna

So overall, not a bad storyline and the music of course is great. Still some classic Disney tropes like losing a parent or in this case both and a young girl being locked up is pretty ignorant about the world. It's at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

ENCHANTED (2007)

Enchanted movie poster

(SPOILERS) Enchanted is a unique story in the Disney cannon because it begins in the animated world then transition to live action for the majority of the movie. The idea is that it takes the classic Disney story and flips it. Giselle is a daydreaming girl in a tower who fantasizes about her prince coming to rescue her. Prince Edward comes along and battles a troll to save her and claims that they will be married in the morning. As Giselle is on her way to her wedding an old woman tricks her and she falls down a well and into the real world, specifically New York City. The old woman is actually Prince Edward's mother who doesn't want to lose her crown by having her son married off to some girl. Giselle wanders around Times Square until Robert and his daughter Morgan find Giselle and are kind enough to help her and let her stay in their fancy rich New York apartment. Giselle and Robert get to know each other as she is waiting for Edward to come and rescue her and bring her back home. Edward makes his way to New York with the help of Giselle's chipmunk friend Pip and they search for her while the Queen's lackey, Nathaniel tries to get Giselle to eat a poisonous apple in various forms (candy apple, apple martini, etc.). Robert tells Giselle that he is planning on proposing to Nancy, his long time girlfriend but she seems constantly upset with him for some reason or another. Towards the end of the movie once Edward finally finds Giselle she is somewhat changed. She doesn't sing all the time, she's experienced emotions other than happiness and she asks Edward to go on a date so they can get to know each other. Giselle doesn't seem as smitten with Edward anymore and they go to a ball before they leave. Robert and Nancy are there and Robert and Giselle dance together while Edward and Nancy watch them. They are clearly in love but both with different people. The Queen manages to interrupt the ball as Giselle is leaving with Edward and she finally agrees to eat the apple. Giselle falls into a deep sleep and the Queen tells Edward and Robert that she will be dead by midnight. Robert suggests true love's kiss and Edward steps up to kiss her but nothing happens. Then Edward tells Robert he should try and he does and it works. Giselle wakes up and tells Robert that she knew it was him all along. Then the Queen turns into a giant cheesy talking dragon and takes Robert as his damsel in distress and Giselle must save him. She does and they all live happily ever after and Nancy and Edward go back together and get married. Giselle starts a fashion line and stays in New York with Robert and Morgan.

The Queen and Edward

It's definitely a cute film that comments on women characters saving themselves and being strong, which I really enjoy. The cast is well assembled and Amy Adams does a great job going from bumbling love sick princess to a grounded and realistic heroine who fights for herself and what she wants. It has a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

I chose Frozen and Enchanted because I noticed a few similarities between the two and while technically neither of these movies are "Guilty Pleasures" they're aimed at a younger audience so I'm just going to say that qualifies in my book. Like the photo above says, Enchanted also commented that the first guy isn't always the right guy. Both films show strong women who save themselves and don't need the men to rescue them. These musicals both have helpful sidekicks with Pip and Olaf/Sven who help the heroine and care about her above all else. 

Our red headed heroine is called out by the man who is not her fiance (but she spends most of the movie with and gets to know him and connect with him) tells her that her she's crazy for marrying a man after only knowing him for a day. 

She also has to pick between two men and doesn't realize until the end of the movie that the one she actually got to know is the one who she's care about more (Go figure!). Also, Hans is evil so there wasn't that much of a choice in Frozen...

Prince Hans

Prince Edward

 

                                             

Kristoff

 

Robert

P.S. I love that shot of Kristoff racing to get to Anna and save her from being frozen because he realizes that he loves her. Those are just a few similarities between Enchanted and Frozen, which are both excellent movies. Did you notice any other similarities between these movies? COMMENT BELOW!

6 Football Movies and Their 6 Clichés

From "We Are Marshall"

I don't know about you but I absolutely love football movies. The suspense, the action packed grid iron, the overly dramatic teenage angst. It's great all around. I recently watched the film "When The Game Stands Tall", a somewhat newer football film about a high school football team with the greatest winning streak in history and suddenly they lose a game and everything seems to fall apart. While watching this film, which I enjoyed, I couldn't help but notice the formulaic approach to how the story would play out. (Hint: there's lots of expensive hospital bills in these movies) So I decided to take a closer look at 6 football movies and some of the clichés that accompany them.

Here are the movies that I will be looking at:










1. Remember the Titans- Set in 1971 and based on a true story a racially diverse team has to learn how to play together despite their race and society telling them they shouldn't be playing together.

2. Friday Night Lights- Set in 1988, the town of Odessa, TX is obsessive about following the football team as they attempt to win the state championships. (Also spawned the successful TV show of the same name)

3. Varsity Blues- Set in 1999, the small town of West Canaan, TX is an obsessive community that loves football and the player have to deal with a difficult and overbearing coach where winning is the only option. (I honestly have a difficult time separating this movie from Friday Night Lights except FNL has a better poster)

4. The Longest Yard (Sandler)- A remake of the 1974 film of the same name, Paul Crewe is a disgraced former quarterback in the NFL who is sent to prison and puts a team of inmates together to play against the guards.

5. We Are Marshall- Set in 1970 and based on a true story of a tragic plane crash that killed the impressive Marshall University football team of players, coaches and parents. The film shows an underdog coach that tries to rebuild the team with rookie players to inspire and keep the program alive at the university.

6. When the Game Stands Tall- Based on a true story set in 2003 at the end of 151 game winning streak of De La Salle High School, the team has to deal with difficulties of a passionate town and the struggles of adolescence after losing the longest winning streak in football history.

Here Are 6 Clichés That I Noticed:

1. Player Has An Obsessive, Controlling Father Who Only Cares About Winning

All of these movies except for The Longest Yard have this theme. (In The Longest Yard you could say that type of character is the warden). In the other films, it's a blatant annoyance that the coach and the player have to deal with. There's lot of lines like "Put my son in!" and "Why would you run that play?!" that this father character often screams. 

In "Remember the Titans" it's Ryan Gosling's father who is annoying

In We Are Marshall, one of the players who died in the plane crash is the one with the overbearing father who is obsessed with every game and every play that his son makes. We see him deal with losing his son and leaving behind that passion of caring about football. He is against the people trying to rebuild the team so shortly after the deaths of the team because he says it's disrespectful. Most of the other parents, especially the one in When the Game Stands Tall are just plain a-holes.

Remember that time Nelly and Adam Sandler were "good" football players?

2. Movie Is More About The Coach Than The Players

In Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights, We Are Marshall and When the Game Stands Tall, it's the coaches journey that's actually central to the story in the film. Remember the Titans is about two interracial coaches learning to work together at a time when blacks and whites were separated. 

Paul Walker in "Varsity Blues"

Friday Night Lights shows the stresses of a highly pressured coach and his mistakes and how he over comes them. We Are Marshall is about an outsider (Matthew McConaughey) rebuilding a football team after tragic deaths and he has to deal with players and a community who believe he's wrong for rebuilding the team so soon. When the Game Stands Tall is about a coach with an impressive winning streak and outstanding coaching ability who loses his first game after 151 wins in a row. 

Billy Bob Thornton in "Friday Night Lights"

3. There Is An Exciting, Suspenseful Final Game That (Usually) Ends With A Win

Whether the stakes are as high as a state championship (Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights) or just getting through and finally winning a game (The Longest Yard, When the Game Stands Tall, Varsity Blues, We Are Marshall) there's an inspiring tale of teamwork at the heart of these films. You know deep down that everything will work out and our underdog team will win it all but it's still suspenseful getting there. 

"Varsity Blues"

We love to see the win after dealing with the hardships. Things will go wrong. Injuries will occur but our team shall prevail! Speaking of injuries...

4. Serious Injury Occurs, Often With A Death

Football movies are basically required to tug at our heart strings and more often than not it's due to someone dying (often a minor but lovable character) whose death (or injury) shakes up and ultimately unites the team into joining together. *(Spoilers below)*

"We Are Marshall"

Remember the Titans has the death of Gerry Bertier and gets in a serious car accident and is paralyzed but doesn't die until later. The movie opens and ends with all the players grown up at his funeral. Friday Night Lights has injuries and some are fairly serious. Varsity Blues also just deals with injuries of some of the players. The Longest Yard has the death of Caretaker (Chris Rock) which ends up being a plot point that effects the rest of the movie. There are also injuries during the game at the end of the film. We Are Marshall begins with the team dying in a plane crash close to home that kills 37 people (players, coaches and fans) so death is a theme throughout the film. There are also some injuries throughout and passionate players who try and fight through them for their team. When the Game Stands Tall has injuries and death. The coach has a heart attack and one of the players is tragically shot and killed. Both of these events shake up but don't break up the team, who ultimately prevails. *(End of Spoilers)*

"Friday Night Lights"

5. The Coach Serves As A Strong Father Figure For the Players

Varsity Blues and The Longest Yard are more about brotherhood with their fellow players but the other four films reach heavily into the father-like role model with the coaches of these teams. These coaches will often give inspirational speeches to the players in key moments in the film. Remember the Titans pins coach against coach for a large part of the movie but when they work together they inspire their team not just as players but as people, which is what really makes a great coach.

Julius knows what's up. "Remember the Titans"

Friday Night Lights is all about Billy Bob Thornton's character and how he inspires his team to persevere when the star player is badly injured. We Are Marshall has Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox as coaches of a distraught team after a devastating disaster for their college. They have to bring together a new team of rookie players and upset parents and show them the importance of honoring the ones who died. They inspire the players to work together to win a game. In When the Game Stands Tall, Coach Lad is a true father figure to all the players that he coaches. They are changed by working with him and he acts as a better father to his players than to his own children. In the end the players honor him by holding up their helmets in a salute to all he's done for them.

Favorite. "We Are Marshall"

6. Star Player(s) Has To Overcome An Issue On The Team And You'll Probably Cry

We all know by now that Remember the Titans is about racial differences so that's their issue and you'll cry when Gerry gets in his accident and he and Julius have a touching moment together in the hospital. In Friday Night Lights Miles gets seriously injured and you'll probably cry when he finally calms down his ego enough to see his dreams disappear. In The Longest Yard they have to overcome the obstacle of being in prison while trying to train as a team with guards making things more difficult for them. You'll probably cry when Chris Rock is killed because he was the best part of the movie.

Also, Tracy Morgan is hilarious in "The Longest Yard"

In Varsity Blues, it's dramatic teen angst and trying to decide where to go to college with an overbearing father and a stressful team riding on your back. Not sure if you'll cry in this one. Although, it is inspiring. In We Are Marshall, you'll definitely cry. If you're like me (sympathetic cryer like Gus in "Psych") this movie is definitely a tear jerker. First off it's a tragedy that starts the film and seeing parents and girlfriends have extreme emotional reactions is cry worthy. The players in the film have to overcome this tragedy and become a team. You'll also cry when they protest the board who doesn't want to green light another team and the entire school comes out and shows their support. That part got me. Finally, in When The Game Stands Tall, the team has to overcome losing the streak and losing one of their players who is killed. This is also when you'll cry, seeing this kid's father and grandmother wailing at his dead body.

Racial Differences in "Remember the Titans"

So there you have some of my observations about a few football movies and common themes throughout them. What's your favorite football movie? Did you notice any clichés that I might've missed?

From "When the Game Stands Tall"

The Maze Runner (2014)

I've been slacking lately with blog posts but here's a quick one about the most recent movie I saw in theaters, The Maze Runner directed by Wes Ball.

The Maze Runner Poster. That's a big uphill trek right there

I really wanted to read The Maze Runner before the movie came out but alas didn't have the time to get past the first two chapters. So at least I was somewhat familiar with the first 10 minutes of the movie but it was nice to have everything else be a surprise. The story follows Thomas as he is deposited into a miniature community of teenage boys ranging from about 14 to maybe 18. Thomas wakes up in an elevator with no memories of who he is or where he came from. When the elevator stops, Thomas finds a bunch of boys and their make-do living situation (think abandoned Boys Scouts stuck in the woods for three years and having to adapt without any adults). I bet it smells awesome there.

The Lost Boys...

It actually doesn't seem all that bad of a place until Thomas notices they are surrounded on all sides by huge iron walls and one of them has an opening. Naturally Thomas is curious and learns that they are in the center of a maze. The basic idea is that there are a few boys in their camp who run the maze every day while it's daytime to map it and find a way out. At night, however, there are beasts who kill anyone in their path. Luckily at night the iron gates shut and the boys are safe in their camp. Of course when Thomas comes he stirs things up, wants to be a maze runner, tries to help find a way out yada yada yada I won't spoil the ending.

The Maze

Forest Temple from Zelda

When Thomas is in the maze it felt very much like the Forest Temple from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I was having major flashbacks. However, after stewing with this film for a few days I actually liked it. It was a fun plot and the characters were interesting, albeit somewhat dumb with some of their rash under pressure decision making skills. I really like the character of Minho and Alby although some of the characters in the background felt very much like extras from "Lost" in the sense of being there but not being active then killed and disappear and you don't really notice. But, it was entertaining and a good "escapist" film, literally and figuratively. It made me want to go and read the books so I can continue the series as this film didn't really feel like a satisfying conclusion since it really wasn't an ending.

Wait this isn't a promo from Lost?!

Yeah, that was a down side when it didn't really "end" but was clearly the end of a part 1 in a series. Hopefully they continue it, I thought it was pretty well done. I didn't think it was expanded upon for this world enough as a solo movie and that bothered me. I suppose they wanted to save some of those details for the next installment but a 5 minute wrap up at the end about why they are doing those things by someone who recorded a video on a screen felt like lazy filmmaking to me. Isn't the saying show don't tell?

Book Cover

If you read the book before seeing the movie, what did you think of it? I'm curious to see how it compared. I recommend seeing this movie if you like this type of genre.