You don’t have to be a sports fan to appreciate and enjoy The Blind Side. As a big sports fan, I’m little biased toward any decent sports movies. So, I was pretty excited to watch The Blind Side. While the movie lacked a true sports movie moments, it was one of the best movie offered by the sports genre. If you are expecting a big underdog or a true battle on the field between two teams, you will be disappointed. Instead, the movie offers a genuine human interest story. The fact that the movie is based on true story makes it even more remarkable.

The Blind Side is based on a true story about Michael Oher and the Tuohy family. Mike Oher comes from a bad background. He has mother who is addicted to drugs and a father he has never met. He struggles to live each day. One night, Anne Tuohy sees him walking home in a cold weather. She takes him home to shelter him and eventually helps him through school as well as acting as his mother. He eventually joins the football team and becomes one of the most sought after player in the country with the help of Tuohy family.

As stated earlier, this is not a true sports movie. Instead, it is an inspirational story revolving around Michael Oher and Tuohy family. There are some sports integrated into the story as it is a story about a football player. But, the majority of the film focuses on the Tuohy family and Michael Oher. While this is billed as a Michael Oher story, it is also about the kindness of Tuohy family. They take in a total stranger and treat him as their own family. Sandra Bullock received a well deserved Oscar for her portrayal of Anne Tuohy. Even if you are not a sports fan, you should have no problem enjoying this film.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

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Sugar Blu Ray Review

The description and the movie trailer for Sugar would lead you to believe that Sugar is a typical sports movie when it is so much more. Sports movie tend to be formulaic and overly sugary to attract large audiences. It usually involves an underdog overachieving and beating the odds to become a champion or a winner. The directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck do the total opposite. They show the story of someone who is heralded yet fail to achieve the dream. The film shows what happens to 99.99% of the aspiring ball players who don’t get to live out the dream. While this may sound depressing and ultimately boring, it is actually a very honest and moving.

The story follows a Dominican baseball player named Miguel “sugar” Santos. Like many other Dominicans, he dreams of playing in the Major League. He plays for a baseball academy affiliated with a Major League team. His day is spent playing baseball and learning English in preparation for the call up to the Major League. After showing an impressive array of pitches, he is invited to spring training for the Kansas City team. There, he impresses enough to be called up to A league in Iowa. He goes through up and down season where he achieves great success and great failures.

It’s really an eye opening film for any baseball fans. As fans, we only see the success stories in the Major League Baseball. We don’t get to see the countless ball players who don’t make it to big league. Throughout the movie, I was waiting for Sugar Santos to come through and ultimately make it. It was little sad to see him not achieve so much given his background and all the expectation from the poverty stricken family. At the same time, you realize the movie is not about the few that make it big. Instead, it is meant to show the vast majority of the baseball players who do not make it big.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

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Miracle Blu Ray Review

As NHL has slipped in popularity behind other sports, most have largely forgotten about the 1980 Olympic hockey triumph by the team USA. The movie Miracle chronicles the entire run of the team USA hockey team including the “miracle on the ice” game. Even the casual sports fan will recognized the famous “do you believe in miracles?” by Al Michaels as USA beat the mighty Soviets. By beating the Soviet team filled with professionals, the amateur filled team USA became the first team in 20 years to beat the Soviets.

The plot follows very closely to the events leading up to the Olympic and the games played during it. The story follows Herb Brooks as he assembles the team to compete in the 1980 Olympic. The film follows the assembling, training, and the final cut for the Olympic team. The film splits its time between the life of Herb Brooks and the actual team and its glory. Herb Brooks knows what it means to represent the team USA. He missed the cut on the 1960 team that won the Gold. He was part of the 1964 and 1968 team that lost badly to the Soviets. This drives him to succeed as the coach to the 1980 team even if it’s against the heavily favored Soviets.

The big part of any sports movie is the sports sequence and how realistic they are. Sports film have come long way in displaying the actual action sequences in realistic way. The Miracle portrays the sporting sequences in a very realistic manner. The movie makers used actual athletes who were proficient in skating to portray the action sequences. Since we all know the outcome, it’s the drama and journey leading up to the great accomplishment that’s front and center in the movie. It is very inspirational and entertaining movie.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

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