That's what a leader's about: sacrifice. The times he's gotta sacrifice because he's gotta lead, by example. Not by fear and not by self-pity. Any Given Sunday is directed by Oliver Stone and Stone co-writes the screenplay with Daniel Pyne and John Logan. It stars Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, James Woods, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, Aaron Eckhart and Jim Brown. Music is by Richard Horowitz and Paul Kelly and cinematography by Salvatore Totino. A star quarterback gets knocked out of the game and an unknown third stringer is called in to replace him. The unknown gives a stunning performance and forces the aging coach to re-evaluate his game plans and his life. A new female co-owner/president adds to the pressure of the team winning. The new owner must prove her self in a male dominated world while old coach and old quarterback equally have much to prove... Stone, the perennial poo stirrer that he is, shifted gear this time around to bring us his take on the brutal world on and off the pitch of American Gridiron. Though without doubt this is far too long in run time (2hrs 40), given that it isn't actually multifaceted in characterisation terms (Diaz underwritten), there's no denying that visually this finds Stone at his best. The quickfire editing might not be to everyone's taste, but it really puts you right in every play out there on the field. So much so you can hear and feel every spit, vomit, blood spill and vociferous grunt. No faults in the acting performances either, with Pacino thankfully doing his thing and Foxx superb as egotist QB Willie Beamen taking the honours and holding court. The narrative strains to make a point about the roles of black and whites in the game, and this being Stone there is no "stone" (sorry) left unturned into behaviour of the game's stars behind the scenes. Is this a movie none American Football fans can enjoy?, yes of course if one is interested in the various skill strands of the art, but really it's one for fans of the sport to see and feel the harsh realities of the game back in the previous decades. 8/10
Love sports movies. Especially when there's a lot of football in it. This goes through a whole seasons worth. Love it!
In a rustic village in Kerala, a group of old wrestling aficionados led by "Captain" Das is at odds with the youth of the village who are more into cricket. Though a former wrestler himself, the Captain's son Anjaneya is also part of the cricketer gang. Anjaneya is forced to go to college in Punjab by his father and there his paths cross with a Punjabi girl Aditi who's coincidentally also a wrestler. Due to unforeseen circumstances both of them end up returning to Anjaneya's village in Kerala.
An obsessed bodybuilder who struggles with personal demons and his family’s lack of belief soon learns that achieving perfection is all he has left.
As a result of a terrible car accident, young Ukrainian athlete Oksana Boturchuk suffers several serious injuries, almost losing her eyesight. However, after long rehabilitation and a returning to incredible training, she is able to conquer a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
A young American hustler in Las Vegas spots a rich English Lady. Smitten, he pursues her to England, where his only chance of getting together with her is to enroll in Oxford and join the rowing team.
A football hooligan feels unconditional love for his club. However, being gay, he has to hide his identity in order to survive in this world that is so precious to him.
Al Stump is a famous sports-writer chosen by Ty Cobb to co-write his official, authorized 'autobiography' before his death. Cobb, widely feared and despised, feels misunderstood and wants to set the record straight about 'the greatest ball-player ever,' in his words.
A young hell raiser quits his moonshine business and tries to become the best NASCAR racer the south has ever seen. Loosely based on the true story of NASCAR driver Junior Johnson.
A magical realist feature drama exploring the lives of a women’s darts team on North Shields’ Meadow Well Estate.
This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.
A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Talented rookie race-car driver Jimmy Bly has started losing his focus and begins to slip in the race rankings. It's no wonder, with the immense pressure being shoveled on him by his overly ambitious promoter brother as well as Bly's romance with his arch rival's girlfriend Sophia. With much riding on Bly, car owner Carl Henry brings former racing star Joe Tanto on board to help Bly. To drive Bly back to the top of the rankings, Tanto must first deal with the emotional scars left over from a tragic racing accident which nearly took his life.