Coach Carter review

This basketball movie was surprisingly much better than I expected. This movie is probably one of the more recent ones that I watched. It stars Samuel L. Jackson as the Coach Carter of the Richmond, VA high school basketball team. I went into this movie kind of skeptical because movies like this can tend to be fairly formulaic. This movie really impressed me, because it wasn't exactly what I expected and it really delivered. Coach Carter went against the grain and really believed that the values he stood up for had the potential to change lives. I was really impressed at the vision of Coach Carter and just how far he would go to make his point. Very well-acted by Samuel Jackson. Also having seen another basketball movie entitled "Glory Road", I felt this movie was volumes better. I don't know if it was the writing or the acting - but I just felt that Coach Carter was one of the best movies regarding basketball I have seen since the movie "Hoosiers". Although I can't agree with everything that goes on in the movie, I did find it fairly realistic and very motivational. Standing up for the truth isn't always popular and this movie does a good job showing that. Two thumbs up in my opinion. Like I said before, potententially the best basketball movie I have seen since "Hoosiers".

The Blind Side review

I went to see this movie when it came out around Thanksgiving in 2009 and really, really enjoyed it. It is an interesting story about a young man and the family who welcomes him into their home and helps him to become an NFL player. This is a powerful story and very well acted by Sandra Bullock. I think this is one of the best roles she has played and I'm glad she was nominated for best actress for it. I almost wouldn't call this movie a sports movie - just because the storyline really revolves more about Michael Orr coming into the home of this southern family in the movie and how they both learned from each other. Another true story that Hollywood did a really good job with. I felt this movie was well cast, well-directed and inspiring to watch. Very well-done and very moving. A definite recommendation in my book.

The Express review

OK, I've decided with my posts, that I'm going to cover quite a few sports movies and what I liked the most of each. The first one I'll be covering is The Express which is based on a true story (most sports stories tend to say this) about a star (Ernie Davis) running back and the coach that worked with him (played by Dennis Quaid). While Dennis Quaid isn't my favorite movie actor, I thought he did a really remarkable job in this movie as a gruff, no-nonsense coach who really helped to bring out the best in his player - Ernie Davis. Although this movie tends to be on the long side - I thought it did a good job moving along and drawing you into good character development. Another thing I really liked about this movie was that it didn't really have a fairy tale ending. The ending seemed true life and while it wasn't the "happily ever after", I think it did do the story of Ernie Davis justice. I say that - not really knowing much about Ernie Davis before watching this movie - so take that last statement with as much salt as you deem necessary. All in all, I liked this movie, and don't want to reveal the complete storyline in case anyone wants to watch it after reading this post. Many football movies have been produced, but "The Express" stands alone fairly well. Definitely worth a watch.