A little inspiration goes a long way
New icon, guys (thanks, foxestacado - I LOVE this poster). July 25! :D
Anyway, earlier tonight I was watching Remember the Titans on TV and thinking, "Now, this is one sports movie that I LOVE," when I remembered a MASSIVE entry that I wrote and never posted, partly because it was rather pointless and partly because I never got around to it. In that entry, I mentioned having watched Miracle recently (hockey movie, 1980 Olympic team, America beats the Soviets, "Miracle on Ice", all that) and talked about how that was my favorite sports movie. Well, I guess I have two. :P So this is an homage to sports movies.
I’m not a big fan of sports movies in general; they do tend to get old. Even if I have seen enough to subscribe to the “work until you want to die, and then do it again” school of training. (It doesn’t work as well in real life. Perhaps because there are no montages. If everything in life could be accomplished in training montages with strong music, life would be so much more exciting.) There's the impossible opponent, the internal conflict, the inspiring speeches, the ultimate triumph; it's a very repetitive genre. You have to do it really well to make it worthwhile. But when it IS done really well, man, it blows me away, and both of these movies probably rank among the best. They certainly rank among my favorites.
I saw Miracle with my fencing team back in sophomore year of high school, and every time I see hockey I think of it, and I have very fond memories of it. Not such fond memories of the suicides we ran after our coach saw it with us (they skate a lot of suicides - you know, to one line and back, the next line and back, the last line and back - including one memorable scene where they do it for hours and they’re all practically dead), but still. This is a movie that makes you want to go out and run ("The legs feed the wolf, gentlemen!"), skate, do something, but it's also full of heart. They take a game, a simple game, and capture how much it meant for all of the players and all of the country (middle of the Cold War, remember). This was a politically charged game, and they capture that; this was an impossible situation, 20 college kids against a team who’d been playing for 15 years and beat everyone they played, including the NHL All-Stars, and you really feel that. And sometimes you just need that inspiration, you know? And I love how they bring you into the lives of the coach, the players (including intense college rivalries, Jimmy Craig whose mother had just died (he’s my favorite. Also, he’s pretty, with black hair and blue eyes, and has a subtle Boston accent, so yay!), and an injury three days before the Opening Ceremonies), and the team, who slowly come together and form really tight bonds. Ok, I’m a sucker for conquering-the-odds movies. They just make you feel good. Powerful. Exhilarated. Love this movie. :D
Remember the Titans is also about overcoming prejudices to form a close-knit team which conquers all, but in this case, it's race, and the country isn't behind them, it's against them. It, too, engages you in the lives of the coaches and the players, showing you the fantastic friendships formed between boys who otherwise might have been enemies. It's not as get-up-and-go as Miracle, and the final game isn't quite as nerve-wracking (seriously, in Miracle you know the final outcome, know that they wouldn't have made the movie if they hadn't won, but still, you're sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, jumping up and down. It's palpable), but it's a little more personal and oh, that ending. It's so stupid, so awful, and yet it's true. It's good. If I hadn't missed the first half of the movie, I'd certainly have more to say here, but I just have to add: I love the camp scenes. I really, really love movies where you see people pushed to their absolute physical limits and still holding on, still pushing through. Partly because I love that feeling myself, and the feeling of satisfaction you get afterwards; partly because I have an injury kink; and partly because it's so mindblowingly inspiring.
If you haven't seen either of these, I definitely recommend that you do. Especially if you DO like sports movies, or hockey, or football, and even if you don't. :D
Watching Miracle, though, will always make me a little sad now, because my high school fencing coach has quit to get more edumacated (he wants his Masters). It's not only that I first saw it with him, but he always gave up the best kinds of workouts, the right kinds, the kinds that make you want to die or kill him and you can't decide which, but I loved him anyway. And whenever someone says that their coach is "very inspirational", I just can't believe it, because this man made me want to be better. He's the one I compare all my coaches to, and my college coach just can't compare, even if he WAS an Olympian. Jim, I'll miss you, even if you wouldn't be my coach anyway. (The mild insanity and tendency to act like a five-year-old were really just endearing, too. You're a strong enough coach to make up for that.)
Anyway, earlier tonight I was watching Remember the Titans on TV and thinking, "Now, this is one sports movie that I LOVE," when I remembered a MASSIVE entry that I wrote and never posted, partly because it was rather pointless and partly because I never got around to it. In that entry, I mentioned having watched Miracle recently (hockey movie, 1980 Olympic team, America beats the Soviets, "Miracle on Ice", all that) and talked about how that was my favorite sports movie. Well, I guess I have two. :P So this is an homage to sports movies.
I’m not a big fan of sports movies in general; they do tend to get old. Even if I have seen enough to subscribe to the “work until you want to die, and then do it again” school of training. (It doesn’t work as well in real life. Perhaps because there are no montages. If everything in life could be accomplished in training montages with strong music, life would be so much more exciting.) There's the impossible opponent, the internal conflict, the inspiring speeches, the ultimate triumph; it's a very repetitive genre. You have to do it really well to make it worthwhile. But when it IS done really well, man, it blows me away, and both of these movies probably rank among the best. They certainly rank among my favorites.
I saw Miracle with my fencing team back in sophomore year of high school, and every time I see hockey I think of it, and I have very fond memories of it. Not such fond memories of the suicides we ran after our coach saw it with us (they skate a lot of suicides - you know, to one line and back, the next line and back, the last line and back - including one memorable scene where they do it for hours and they’re all practically dead), but still. This is a movie that makes you want to go out and run ("The legs feed the wolf, gentlemen!"), skate, do something, but it's also full of heart. They take a game, a simple game, and capture how much it meant for all of the players and all of the country (middle of the Cold War, remember). This was a politically charged game, and they capture that; this was an impossible situation, 20 college kids against a team who’d been playing for 15 years and beat everyone they played, including the NHL All-Stars, and you really feel that. And sometimes you just need that inspiration, you know? And I love how they bring you into the lives of the coach, the players (including intense college rivalries, Jimmy Craig whose mother had just died (he’s my favorite. Also, he’s pretty, with black hair and blue eyes, and has a subtle Boston accent, so yay!), and an injury three days before the Opening Ceremonies), and the team, who slowly come together and form really tight bonds. Ok, I’m a sucker for conquering-the-odds movies. They just make you feel good. Powerful. Exhilarated. Love this movie. :D
Remember the Titans is also about overcoming prejudices to form a close-knit team which conquers all, but in this case, it's race, and the country isn't behind them, it's against them. It, too, engages you in the lives of the coaches and the players, showing you the fantastic friendships formed between boys who otherwise might have been enemies. It's not as get-up-and-go as Miracle, and the final game isn't quite as nerve-wracking (seriously, in Miracle you know the final outcome, know that they wouldn't have made the movie if they hadn't won, but still, you're sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, jumping up and down. It's palpable), but it's a little more personal and oh, that ending. It's so stupid, so awful, and yet it's true. It's good. If I hadn't missed the first half of the movie, I'd certainly have more to say here, but I just have to add: I love the camp scenes. I really, really love movies where you see people pushed to their absolute physical limits and still holding on, still pushing through. Partly because I love that feeling myself, and the feeling of satisfaction you get afterwards; partly because I have an injury kink; and partly because it's so mindblowingly inspiring.
If you haven't seen either of these, I definitely recommend that you do. Especially if you DO like sports movies, or hockey, or football, and even if you don't. :D
Watching Miracle, though, will always make me a little sad now, because my high school fencing coach has quit to get more edumacated (he wants his Masters). It's not only that I first saw it with him, but he always gave up the best kinds of workouts, the right kinds, the kinds that make you want to die or kill him and you can't decide which, but I loved him anyway. And whenever someone says that their coach is "very inspirational", I just can't believe it, because this man made me want to be better. He's the one I compare all my coaches to, and my college coach just can't compare, even if he WAS an Olympian. Jim, I'll miss you, even if you wouldn't be my coach anyway. (The mild insanity and tendency to act like a five-year-old were really just endearing, too. You're a strong enough coach to make up for that.)