Today inside the box I will do a sports movie fantasy draft which is a fancy way of saying a top 10 list. Also this week I will introduce the Music Box to the blog for the first time and I will reveal my top 6 albums that I'm currently listening to. So peel of the packing tape and take a look inside the box.
Movie Box:
Welcome readers to the first annual Sports Movie Fantasy Draft. This week I draft my lineup of favorite sports films. Unlike most drafts this one will start in the 10th round and finish in the 1st. I will briefly mention that I did struggle a little determining what qualified as a sports film because some of the best really don't focus on playing the actually game. So I also based this on the spirit and meaning that is conveyed in the movies. So let's get this started!
10th round: The Sandlot (1993). This care free baseball movie follows Scotty Smalls as he adapts to moving to a new town and making friends with a group of kids who just love playing baseball. Unfortunately most of this kids from this movie didn't go on to do anything else in movies it does feature performances from Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Dennis Leary (Rescue Me), and James Earl Jones.
9th round: Draft Day (2014). This movie is so cool but I always hear people say, "It would've been better if they actually played games." Well the movie is called Draft Day not Game day. The movie follows sports movie phenom Kevin Costner who plays Sunny Weaver Jr. the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns. The Browns shockingly had a bad season and need to rebuild in the draft. The movie starts 13 hours before the draft and follows Sunny as he deals with pressure from everyone and it gets heightened after he makes a trade for the first overall pick. The last 20 minutes of the movie is really intense and good.
8th round: Bull Durham (1988). Kevin Costner plays a catcher near the end of his career while Tim Robbins plays a Pitcher at the beginning of his career and though a great choice neither is the narrator of the film. Susan Sarandon plays Annie who is a huge fan of the Bulls and has an affair with a new player on the team each season and she servers as the narrator. She becomes intertwined with Costner and Robbins as Costner is made responsible for developing Robbins into a legit Major League prospect.
7th round: Field of Dreams (1989). Here again we have another Costner sports film. It is also a movie where playing the front isn't really the forefront of the movie. Costner plays Ray Kinsella a farmer in Iowa who after hearing a voice in the middle of his corn field decides to tear up a lot of his crop and build a baseball field. Also staring James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta the movie follows most of the characters as they re-discover their love for the game.
6th round: Friday Night Lights (2004). Yes this did eventually become a TV show and the first few season were pretty good but the movie is where it's at. Based off the book of the same name by H.G. Bissinger, Billy Bob Thornton stars as Gary Gaines head football coach of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. The movie also follows several seniors as they prepare for their final season and life after high school.
5th round: The Mighty Ducks (1992). This movie follows Emilio Estevez who plays Gordon Bombay a high profile lawyer who after getting in trouble for drunk driving is sentenced to community service as a little league hockey coach. In teaching the kids the fundamentals and how to respect the game of hockey he re-discovers his love of the game. The kids help him become a better person and he even gets a sense of personal redemption at the end of the movie.
4th round: Angels in the Outfield (1994). I absolutely love this movie! If I had a VHS tape that was worn out it would've been this one. I watched this movie so many times growing up. I would watch it back to back to back in the same day. This movie stars Joseph-Gordon Levitt who plays Roger, a foster kid who after praying for the Angels to win the Pennant so that he and his dad can be a family again discovers that real angels have shown up lead by Christopher Lloyd to help the team. Roger and his best friend J.P. get to meet Angels manager George Knox, played by Danny Glover, and tell him about the real angels. Through the magic of Disney and the reluctance of Coach Knox he develops a friendship with the boys as they help him see the angels and play the players on the team that are being assisted by them. The movie also stars Tony Danza and features Oscar winning actors Adrien Brody and Matthew McConaughey as members of the Angels baseball team.
3rd round: Moneyball (2011). The movie stars Brad Pitt as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. After having another close call in the playoffs Billy gets frustrated about not being able to compete financially with the bigger market teams. After hiring Peter Brand as his assistant general manager, Jonah Hill, the team starts to utilize a computer-generated analysis system to find the best players for a lower amount of money. Based on a true story.
2nd round: Remember the Titans (2000). This movie stars Denzel Washington who becomes the head coach of the TCW High School football team. A high school that is a merging of one all white high school and one all black high school. The movie follows the struggles of many of the players as well as coaches as everyone has to adjust to the new situation. After an offseason work out that sees everyone become a family, they return to a world that isn't ready to accept what is going on. The team doesn't let this affect them and they go out and battle every week with everything on the line.
1st round: Miracle (2004). Disney's amazing retelling of the Miracle on Ice. This movie stars Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks the head coach of the 1980 U.S Olympic Hockey team. The movie starts out with the team as a group of divided college players and follows as Herb leads them to become not only a cohesive team but a family. They go on to play against the juggernaut that was the Russian squad. Check out the amazing story of this group of underdogs on their quest to winning a Gold medal.
1. Cool Runnings (1993)
2. Caddyshack (1980)
3. Slap Shot (1977)
Music Box:
Alright for the first edition of the music box I have decided to share the top albums I've been listening to right now. Instead of a top 5 I'm going to do my top 6. So here we go starting with number 6.
6. Florida Georgia Line: Anything Goes (2014). I've started to get into country music a lot more as of late and this is the current country album that I've been listening to. This country duo is pretty solid and their second album is too. My favorite song off of the album is Smile but I also like Dirt and Sippin' on Fire.
5. Tonight Alive: The Other Side (2013). This pop punk band hails from Sydney, Australia and their second album comes in at number 5. The first half of this album is the stronger half but it's a very enjoyable album in it's entirety. My favorite song off of the album is Hell and Back but I also like The Ocean, Don't Wish and The Other Side.
4. Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways (2014). When I first got this album I listened to it three times straight through because I was driving from Indianapolis to South Bend. It did take a little time for it to grow on me but once again Dave and the Foo Fighters have delivered with another solid album. I have yet to see the documentary series that goes along with the album but I love the concept of recording each song in a different city with different artists. My favorite song off of the album is I am a River but I also enjoy Congregation and Something from Nothing.
3. Cake: Comfort Eagle (2001). This album is just straight awesome! Every song off the album is good even though the last two songs are a bit weaker than the rest. The album also features the theme song to the show Chuck. Cake features more of a spoken singing style and an odd but fun set of lyrics. They also feature a brass section which adds another fun element to the band. My favorite song off the album is Comfort Eagle but I also like Meanwhile, Rick James..., Opera Singer, and Shadow Stabbing.
2. Yellowcard: When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes: acoustic version (2011). To be honest if I was doing a list of the bands I'm listening to currently number 1 would be Yellowcard. I really enjoy this band and I love that they feature and electric violin player. I do like the standard version of this album the acoustic album is just more appealing to me. My favorite song off of the album is For You, and Your Denial but I also really like Soundtrack and With You Around. To be fair though the hold album is great.
1. Childish Gambino: Camp (2011). Alright so I'm not really a big fan of rap or hip hop music but when I was introduced to Childish Gambino by an amazing person in my life I was hooked. His lyrics are totally off the wall but that what makes it so enjoyable. My favorite song off the album is Bonfire but I also like Sunrise, Heartbeat and You See Me.
The Guest Box:
Like before if anyone has anything they want to share you can reach out to me on Facebook, Twitter (@acbach27), by email (acbach27@gmail.com), or in the comments.
Final Thoughts:
I just want to say again that I really appreciate everyone who takes some time out of their day to read this blog. I hope everyone enjoys and even takes some time to check out some of the movies and cd's that I have in my lists.
Have a great weekend everyone!!!
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