By Andrea Renee Cox
September means back to school, which of course means
tutoring started back up this month. It began with a trickle of students, but
now my schedule is filling up. God’s blessings are bountiful, and I’m very grateful.
To be able to work from home is one my greatest blessings right now, and this
allows me time to watch more movies. Here are a few of my favorites from this
month.
IN THEATERS
When the Game Stands
Tall
What happens when the longest winning streak in sports history gets broken?
The true story of De La Salle High School football team’s
151 straight wins over 12 years, and the subsequent season of trials, might
just be the greatest sports movie of all time. The way Coach Bob Ladouceur
coached his boys with a faith-first method really struck me as genius. He wasn’t
as concerned with winning as he was building up great character within each of
his team members so they’d be able to live the rest of their lives honoring
God. I’d say this world definitely needs more people like Coach Ladouceur.
Readers, what’s your
favorite sports movie and why?
Dolphin Tale 2
This based-on-a-true-story movie picks up on the story of
tail-less dolphin, Winter, a few years after Sawyer Nelson helped rescue her.
Now in high school, Sawyer must decide between continuing to work with Dr. Clay
Haskett at the Clearwater Marine Hospital, or accept the opportunity of a
lifetime, which would take him away from his mom and marine hospital family—including
Winter—for three months. His decision becomes further complicated when Winter’s
surrogate mother passes away, leaving her alone and depressed. Will the
Clearwater crew be able to find another female to team Winter up with before
the USDA regulations officer demands Winter be moved to another aquarium?
The first Dolphin Tale film was a delightful story for the
entire family, and Dolphin Tale 2 follows
that style perfectly. I was glad to see the entire cast had returned. Such
continuity makes following movie series more enjoyable because you get to see
the youngest actors in them grow up before your eyes. Plus, you don’t have to
get used to different actors in the roles you came to love so swiftly the first
time around. I especially enjoyed learning more about Winter’s journey at the
Clearwater Marine Hospital, and the people who take care of the animals there.
The love they have for each other really comes through in this film.
Readers, what is it
about based-on-real-life stories that keeps you coming back for more?
AVAILABLE TO OWN
October Sky
Yet another based-on-real-life movie (this trend made itself
apparent to me quite early in the month), October
Sky is about Homer Hickam, who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, to take up rocketry.
Despite his coal miner father’s wishes for him to follow in his footsteps,
Homer and three of his friends build and launch rockets, learning from their
mistakes along the way. Several members of their hometown of Coalwood, West
Virginia, encouraged and helped them through the process, none more enthusiastically
than their science teacher, Miss Riley. Did they overcome the odds and find a
way out of Coalwood? Or did incidents outside their control send them down to
the coal mine after all?
This movie was filmed in 1999 and starred Jake Gyllenhaal
before he was a household name. The entire cast is great, including Chris
Cooper as Homer’s dad and Laura Dern (also in When the Game Stands Tall) as
Miss Riley. The story is one that sticks with me long after I watch it … every
time I watch it. If you haven’t seen this one, I recommend you find a copy and
soon! It makes me cry every time, which I assure you is a good thing. Plus,
they tell you what became of the boys at the end of the movie.
Readers, do you dream
big? Who has encouraged you to go after your dreams?
Thanks for stopping
by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.
And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.
Would you like to be my guest? Here's how to submit an article.
Do you need a proofreader? Here are the services I offer.
2 comments:
I really enjoyed "We are Marshall" and "Remember the Titans." Both great sports movies and both based on true stories. These both rank, in my opinion, along side "Rudy" and "Hoosiers," which are both classics in the genre. I think all of these movies really give the audience the ability to step inside the world, in which it takes place, and feel with the main characters, as well as those in the background "watching" the history unfold. While, I will admit that most of movie going enjoyment is spent on animated features or romantic comedies, sometimes, it really nice to take a step back into the past and look how far we have come.
Dora, I agree. All those movies you mentioned are wonderful and give so much more than just the "game". "When the Game Stands Tall" is right up there with all of those. I also enjoyed "Miracle", although it's a different sport altogether (hockey). It carries the same feel as all those football movies, as does the basketball movie, "Glory Road".
Thanks for visiting my blog today!
Post a Comment