Movie Walrus: LeVar Goes To The Pictures Part II - Electric Boogaloo... THE REVEAL

Also Starring LeVar Burton

A very Squint Eastwood heavy start to this reveal there... :pac:

Also Starring LeVar Burton

6th place and 11 pts to

JP Liz V1

Warrior (2011)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291584/

IMDB wrote:

The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 89%

Review:
Thought this was great, the family drama at the heart of the story I found myself really invested in, as well as the fact that both of the main characters were underdogs, so I was genuinely conflicted over who to root for, which just meant the film had my undivided attention. Joel Edgerton was the star of the show here in terms of performance, but it was also great to see Jennifer Morrison and Frank Grillo in supporting roles as I'm big fans of both of them and they were great as always here too. However, Tom Hardy and Nick Nolte annoyed me a bit with their mumble acting, and Hardy in particular may as well have been wearing his Bane mask at times. They're both fantastic actors, I've seen them in enough other films to know that, and I did really like them here too for the most part, I just resented having to strain to make out what they were saying at times. In the end it was really only a handful of scenes, so not a major problem, I've never understood the appeal of the mumble performance, I'm sure it may add another layer of authenticity to the role, but personally I'd rather everyone just spoke clearly. All in all, a great film, and solid choice for this round.

Kolido

the purple tin

Yup-yup Glad you liked it LB. I have no interest in rugby whatsoever and thought I would be bored to death watching it, but I thought it was great and I even enjoyed the rugby scenes.


I'm doing much better in this sequel. Last time I only finished a few points above Necro... Oh the shame

Also Starring LeVar Burton

9th place with 6 pts is

osh

Shaolin Soccer (2001)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286112/

IMDB wrote:

A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 76%

Review:
Absolutely bizarre, but in the best possible way. Loved the style, and the fact that it unapologetically leans into the absurd. The first half of the film had my full attention and I was on board with the ridiculous premise from the beginning. If actual soccer was combined with Kung Fu, I'd be less likely to think of soccer as the most dull and boring thing in the world (I'd genuinely rather sit and watch paint dry for 90 minutes than endure a game of soccer on the telly), because it is absolutely true that Kung Fu makes everything better. It got a bit too dramatic in the second half for what had come before it and it also got bogged down in a romance plot that was more or less unnecessary that just took me out of the main plotline too much. I watched the original 113 minute cut as requested, but I did think there was a bit of a pacing issue amidst all the drama in the second half, and I wonder if the shorter 87 minute cut works a bit better in that regard (although its more likely they leave out quite a lot of the stuff I loved the most in the early parts of the film rather than the aspects I was less keen on later on).

Also Starring LeVar Burton

5th place and 12 pts to

Rikand

Tin Cup (1996)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117918/

IMDB wrote:

A washed up golf pro working at a driving range tries to qualify for the US Open in order to win the heart of his successful rival's girlfriend.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 90%

Review:
This took me by complete surprise. Wasn't expecting much from it to be honest, figured I'd end up just comparing it to Happy Gilmore (which I'm a big fan of) and that it wouldn't come close, but it's definitely better, and just great fun from beginning to end. The chemistry and dynamic between Kevin Costner and Rene Russo was fantastic, Cheech Marin was superb in the loveable sidekick role, and a colourful cast of supporting characters made it really easy to become fully invested in the story. Aside from the aforementioned Happy Gilmore and playing crazy golf as a kid, its not a sport I have any interest in, but watching a film like this makes me want to borrow a set of clubs and take to the driving range. The one issue I had with this film (and in the grand scheme of things it's a minor one) is the soundtrack, which was a complete mess and didn't fit right with the film for me. It was almost as if they had used up their budget and as an afterthought told the Music Supervisor to find any old royalty free sh*te to slap on top of montages, which is a shame because a solid soundtrack would've elevated Tin Cup to near perfect for me.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

10th with 5 pts is

Electric Nitwit

The Cup (1999)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0201840/

IMDB wrote:

While the soccer World Cup is being played in France, two young Tibetan refugees arrive at a monastery/boarding school in exile in India. Its atmosphere of serene contemplation is somewhat disrupted by soccer fever, the chief instigator being a young student, the soccer enthusiast Orgyen.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 72%

Review:
An enjoyable little film, a fun story, and I quite liked all the characters, my only problem being that I think they could've established the relationships between the characters, and highlighted life in the monastery, quite a bit more. The premise is simple, so it needed to bulk up the character dynamics a bit more to really grab my attention, and just from a storytelling point of view it would have made the whole film more impactful had they spend a bit more time with a couple of the characters. All in all, I definitely enjoyed it, I liked the setting and the cinematography, there were funny moments and sweet moments, just felt it needed a little extra oomph to stand out from the pack a bit more. Seeing the lenghts a handful of young Tibetan Monks in India had to go just to watch the World Cup final in '98, and knowing its based on a true story, is quite humbling and I like the message that the film had, highlighted in the closing monologue.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

4th place and 13 pts to

mustang shelly

Cool Runnings (1993)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106611/

IMDB wrote:

When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes

LeVar's Approval Rating: 91%

Review:
"Feel the Rhythm! Feel the Rhyme! Get on up, it's bobsled time! Cool Runnings!"
So this is the film that instilled my love for sports movies and underdog stories in general. Think I was seven years old when I first saw it, and if I'm not mistaken it's the very first sports film I ever watched. I've seen it dozens and dozens of times since then, and while it may not be the absolute greatest sports movie ever made, it will always hold a special place in cinema history for me, as it just brings me so much joy each and every time I watch it. Great story, great cast, all the characters have their own arcs and journeys, and it's a lot of fun. It's also one of those films that I would watch with my sister and brother a lot ; we all had and have vastly different tastes in Film and TV Shows, and fights over what to watch were a common occurrence when we were younger (especially back when there was only the one TV in the house), so Cool Runnings was one of those films that was mutual ground we could all agree on and a cease fire in the battle for the remote would be held as we watched some Jamaicans bobsled down and icy chute.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Which brings us to the Top 3 and Bottom 3 already,although 7 people still remain to have their fates revealed in this round... They are (in alphabetical order)...

aaronjennings
Alfred Borden
Arghus
Irish Aris
Reberetta
Sawduck
ShaneU

Let the obligatory "dramatic effect break" commence...

Also Starring LeVar Burton

the purple tin wrote: »

Yup-yup Glad you liked it LB. I have no interest in rugby whatsoever and thought I would be bored to death watching it, but I thought it was great and I even enjoyed the rugby scenes.


I'm doing much better in this sequel. Last time I only finished a few points above Necro... Oh the shame

Also Starring LeVar Burton

11th with 4 pts is

Irish Aris

A League of Their Own (1992)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/

IMDB wrote:

Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amidst their own growing rivalry.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 61%

Review:
My feelings on this immediately after watching were that it was a nice feel-good film and I enjoyed it, but that ultimately there was very little substance to it. It took itself a bit too seriously for a movie that didn't have a whole lot of jeopardy in it, and if it had just been a full on comedy I think it would have worked a whole lot better. Some very enjoyable actors in here, Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, and Bitty Schram are all people I enjoy and they were good here, very watchable, but again a lack of substance to the overall story just didn't leave me invested in any of them as characters. One person I don't think I had seen in an acting role before is Madonna, but I thought she was absolutely great in this, and her character was the most fun of any of them, so the Queen of Pop is easily the MVP here for me. Wasn't a fan of the film being bookended with the characters in their twilight years, that all felt very cheesy and the acting was poor in those scene, not helped by the choice to have Geena Davis and Lori Petty dub over their elderly counterparts, which was noticeable and just felt unnatural. I am glad that I finally have context for "There's No Crying In Baseball" a line I've heard quoted many a time, but never knew its origin.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

3rd place and 14 pts to

ShaneU

Moneyball (2011)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/

IMDB wrote:

Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes

LeVar's Approval Rating: 92%

Review:
One of the first films that always springs to my mind when I think of great sports movies. Went to see this in the cinema when it first came out, not expecting much from it, but it was back when I went to the cinema about 5 or 6 times a month, and I had likely seen most of the other films out at the time that I wanted to see, so took a gamble on a Brad Pitt led baseball film, and ended up being easily in the top 10 films of that year for me at the time. It's a fascinating story, I'm generally a fan of people bucking the system by trying a new approach in how something should be done, especially when those people face any sort of backlash for such outside the box thinking, so just the general message of the story was enough to win me over. On top of that, it's got a brilliant cast, especially Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill who bounce off each other extremely well. I recall Hill surprising me at the time, because he had really only done late night comedy type films up until that point, so seeing him knock a drama movie out of the park (pun intended) was great. Great choice, and one I might have seriously considered submitting for this category myself.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

12th with 3 pts is

Reberetta

This Sporting Life (1963)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057578/

IMDB wrote:

Despite success on the field, a rising rugby star senses the emerging emptiness of his life as his inner angst begins to materialize through aggression and brutality, so he attempts to woo his landlady in hopes of finding reason to live.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 57%

Review:
Decent enough film, I liked the non-linear style, and the general aesthetic. Overall story was good alright, but I think I wanted a bit more from it, it was a decent slice of life piece of cinema, but I was left unsatisfied at the end of it all. The state of the accents really hindered my enjoyment, they were fairly woeful, to the point I wondered if anyone who had actually ever been to Yorkshire was even involved in this production, and I'm a big fan of the Yorkshire patois, so that was very disappointing. The lead actors were easily the biggest offenders though. Richard Harris is a fantastic actor, but his accent was the biggest culprit in this ; it felt like he went through every dialect between Limerick and Leeds, by way of Jamaica, in each bloody sentence he uttered. Rachel Roberts wavered from a fairly neutral English stage school sounding accent into her native Welsh dialect. A few of the others were a bit all over the place too. It got to the point to where I was paying more attention to the bastard tongues attempting to pass for West Yorkshire natives, than the actual film itself. Still liked it, but it wasn't without its fair share of problems.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

2nd place and 15 pts to

Alfred Borden

Rush (2013)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979320/

IMDB wrote:

The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

Have I Seen It Before: Yes

LeVar's Approval Rating: 94%

Review:
My entire life I have had zero interest in Formula One and the only car racing I enjoy in any way shape or form is Mario Kart. I don't care for cars and hate driving (I used to drive, I just never got any joy or that supposed sense of freedom from driving, so sold my car, haven't driven in thirteen years, and have never missed it), and yet when this film was released in cinemas I just had to go see it for the two leads alone. Long before they were well known to the Marvel audiences, I was a fan of Chris Hemsworth from his humble beginnings in Home & Away, and Daniel Bruhl from one of my favourite German films Good Bye Lenin! ; so despite zero interest in the sport, I made sure to see this one on its opening weekend. While it may have been the star power that drew me in, the story of James Hunt and Niki Lauda and the rivalry between them is genuinely captivating and I was fully invested in every aspect of the film, not only when I initially saw it either, because it had the same impact this time around. This was actually the film I expected would get the top spot in this category, but another managed to sneak in ahead of it.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Which leaves 3 people in contention for the Top and Bottom Spot... Is Arghus about to extend his overall lead in the tournament or will aaronjennings or Sawduck manage to take the top spot and cause a major upset at the top of the overall standing...

All three of them at this moment...

osh

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

I watched the original 113 minute cut as requested, but I did think there was a bit of a pacing issue amidst all the drama in the second half, and I wonder if the shorter 87 minute cut works a bit better in that regard (although its more likely they leave out quite a lot of the stuff I loved the most in the early parts of the film rather than the aspects I was less keen on later on).

Don't think I've seen the shorter cut, but I think it removed alot of earlier stuff, like the absurd dance scenes etc which I really enjoyed.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

osh wrote: »

Don't think I've seen the shorter cut, but I think it removed alot of earlier stuff, like the absurd dance scenes etc which I really enjoyed.

Yeah, those were my favourite bits, definitely preferred that stuff, so the longer version was definitely the right call I think.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Joined in Last place with 2 pts each are

Sawduck

and

Arghus

Slap Shot (1977)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076723/

IMDB wrote:

A failing ice hockey team finds success with outrageously violent hockey goonery.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 31%

Review:
This was one that I expected to love, as I enjoy Ice Hockey, I really like Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean, underdog stories are my jam, was in the right mood for a good comedy, and it's a Cult Favourite, so was thinking this had all the boxes ticked before I even started watching, and it just dropped the puck spectacularly from the very beginning. It's not particularly funny, so it failed on the Comedy front, but it didn't fit into any other genre either and it all felt directionless and lost to me as a film. Newman and Ontkean were fine, they just didn't have anything worthwhile to work with, and none of the characters were in any way enjoyable, I had no one to root for and therefore didn't care what happened to this team of hockey players, which made the underdog aspect of things pretty much non-existent for me. It's far from the worst two hours of cinema I've ever sat through, thought the ending was a pretty unique way to resolve things (that said it wasn't really earned), and also the soundtrack was quite good. Overall it was a hot mess and I don't really understand why this film is held in such high regard, but each to their own.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

1st place and 16 pts to

aaronjennings

Hillsborough (1996)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116533/

IMDB wrote:

A number of grieving families in the UK struggle to come to terms with the unexpected and tragic 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, in which 95 football fans were crushed to death.

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 95%

Review:
This one had quite the affect on me, and I found it a difficult and uncomfortable watch. I've seen plenty a film based on real life tragedies, but I can't think of any off the top of my head that hit as hard as this did. I've done many Health & Safety courses and training days in my time, and pretty much all of them reference the Hillsborough Disaster, so even though my soccer knowledge is minimal, this is one event in sporting history that I've heard countless times. I think the fact that this was a TV Movie for ITV instead of a big glossy Hollywood production, is what makes this feel more realistic and why it's not an easy watch, but also the main reason it's such an effective and strong film. I also like that Jimmy McGovern was asked to write this film by families of the victims so that their side of the story could be heard, so in that sense it's not sensationalised or voyeuristic in a way that other based-on-real-tragedy films can be. Many familiar faces in the cast, and all of them did a great job, but Ricky Tomlinson in particular deserves an individual shout-out for his performance ; he may be best associated with comedy due to The Royle Family, but he was on Brookside for years before that so this sort of drama is where he thrives. A unique submission for this category, and a brilliantly made film.

Tauriel

Surprised that The Mighty Ducks didn't make an appearance

Necro

mustang shelly wrote: »

Surprised that The Mighty Ducks didn't make an appearance

Saved for the Estevez Festevez I suspect

Also Starring LeVar Burton

That slip from Arghus sees him slip back to 3rd, as Rikand and cee_jay leapfrog him and find themselves joined in 1st place... for now...

Aris is having a nightmare of a game so far as our film tastes have not been in sync at all this time around...

Contender Sequels Kids/Animals Sports Ladies Double #1 Double #2 Total
Rikand 12 14 12 38
cee_jay 15 13 10 38
Arghus 16 15 2 33
aaronjennings 7 9 16 32
osh 9 16 6 31
ShaneU 11 5 14 30
the purple tin 13 7 10 30
mustang shelly 3 12 13 28
Necro 5 11 8 24
Kolido 6 10 8 24
Sawduck 14 8 2 24
Alfred Borden 4 3 15 22
Electric Nitwit 11 2 5 18
Reberetta 8 6 3 17
JP Liz V1 2 1 11 14
Irish Aris 1 4 4 9


The next reveal, Round 4: Ladies Night is happening tonight... Aiming for about a 9pm start, dependant on how Kolido's reveal is going...

Ladies Night was my favourite round (although I liked all the rounds to be fair) of the Walrus and definitely had the best ratings of the tournament (to the point I felt awful having to place anyone in the bottom three)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSOlP9FImgE

Kolido

Another great reveal LeVar and great pick by Aaron.

So ladies night tonight, I tread to think what I picked for that.

So you're not an Eastwood fan then LeVar? He had some crackin shows in the 70s including the early Dirty Harry movies. I'd stay clear of his comedy roles though.

JP Liz V1

I'm glad you liked Warrior, I think I like it more for sexy Tom, Joel and Frank

I love Tin Cup, very underrated and also good soundtrack, great pick Ric

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Kolido wrote: »

Another great reveal LeVar and great pick by Aaron.

So ladies night tonight, I tread to think what I picked for that.

So you're not an Eastwood fan then LeVar? He had some crackin shows in the 70s including the early Dirty Harry movies. I'd stay clear of his comedy roles though.

I struggle to understand why people love him so much... I clearly must be missing something when it comes to the appeal of that lad... :pac:

quickbeam

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

I struggle to understand why people love him so much... I clearly must be missing something when it comes to the appeal of that lad... :pac:

I like some of his classic acting output, but I'd agree wholeheartedly about his films as director being hugely overrated. I too struggle to understand his appeal.

Electric Nitwit

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

10th with 5 pts is

Electric Nitwit

The Cup (1999)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0201840/

Have I Seen It Before: No

LeVar's Approval Rating: 72%

Review:
An enjoyable little film, a fun story, and I quite liked all the characters, my only problem being that I think they could've established the relationships between the characters, and highlighted life in the monastery, quite a bit more. The premise is simple, so it needed to bulk up the character dynamics a bit more to really grab my attention, and just from a storytelling point of view it would have made the whole film more impactful had they spend a bit more time with a couple of the characters. All in all, I definitely enjoyed it, I liked the setting and the cinematography, there were funny moments and sweet moments, just felt it needed a little extra oomph to stand out from the pack a bit more. Seeing the lenghts a handful of young Tibetan Monks in India had to go just to watch the World Cup final in '98, and knowing its based on a true story, is quite humbling and I like the message that the film had, highlighted in the closing monologue.

Glad you liked it

Obviously I was trying to go far from the beaten track and pick something unique that I was sure you wouldn't have seen, but I really loved this film. It is simple and slight, I agree, but it's just... for want of a better word, nice.

aaron - that's a fantastic pick, well done. I'm a Liverpool fan, go to the match regularly and I'm (just) old enough to remember it, so Hillsborough means a lot to me. I was sceptical when they made that film, but it's incredibly well made, as hard as it is to watch

Also Starring LeVar Burton

quickbeam wrote: »

I like some of his classic acting output, but I'd agree wholeheartedly about his films as director being hugely overrated. I too struggle to understand his appeal.

It's definitely his "acting" that I take issue with more than anything else. If he keeps himself out of the films he's directing, I don't mind him as a director (wouldn't be holding him in very high regard as a director mind, but he is fine on the directing front from what I've seen anyway)

JP Liz V1

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

I struggle to understand why people love him so much... I clearly must be missing something when it comes to the appeal of that lad... :pac:

Eastwood is near 100, hardly a lad he is a good director

quickbeam

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

Rush (2013)
Have I Seen It Before: Yes

LeVar's Approval Rating: 94%

Also agree with everything here. I have negative interest in motor sports but this is a cracking good movie. I also love Goodbye Lenin! Good choice Alfred!