Following up on Tuesday’s rankings of men’s teams, these are the dual-meet rankings for college women’s teams.
Remember, these are a ranking of teams based on how they would currently fare in dual meets; teams which have not yet run their whole squad are not ranked. Notable such teams are LSU, Georgia and the whole Pac-10. Teams without a dual, tri or quad on their schedule are ineligible for ranking.
1. Texas A&M (meets LSU on Saturday)
2. Ohio State (1-0, beat #3 Michigan)
3. Michigan (0-1, lost to #2 Ohio State)
4. Tennessee
5. Texas Tech
6. Indiana (1-0, beat Purdue)
7. Nebraska
8. Kansas (1-0, beat Missouri)
9. BYU
10. Eastern Michigan (1-0, beat Toledo)
Track on TV
Reliving the Glory: Los Angeles '84, 7:00 PM tonight on Universal Sports
News Links
Runner's World's Racing News has all the headlines, including indoor track previews.
Let's Run's Week That Was in running.
Flotrack's Kick of the Week:
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Superfan Daily: Your Track Vault Pick of the Week
Today we have a Sports Illustrated article from 1965 profiling the start of the track season.
Track on TV
Endurance, 6:00 AM tomorrow onFLiX
Running , 9:30 AM tomorrow on Showtime Family Zone
Prefontaine, 9:30 AM tomorrow on Showtime Showcase
News Links
Runner's World's Racing News has all the headlines: Millrose adds Galen Rupp and a 2-mile race, the Boston Indoor Games have a new title sponsor, and more.
Lolo Jones wins Mr. Universe's Tweet of the Week award.
Part 2 of iRunnerblog's interview with Shalane Flanagan.
Galen Rupp's 2011 season will have distinct and separate indoor and outdoor portions.
Olympic News: the USOC and IOC are opening discussions on a new revenue-sharing agreement, and GM paid big to be the lone auto advertiser for NBC's 2012 Olympic coverage.
TFN's Garry Hill says loud music and other histrionics get in the way of experiencing a track meet. Agreed. I've also noticed that a road race or triathlon that has a DJ is almost invariably poorly organized.
College news: Pre-season D-II rankings released, and Florida's super-sprinter/footballer Jeff Demps will miss the season opener (and maybe more).
Anti-doping news: The two Greek sprinters are finally in court for their 2004 Olympic antics, a key suspect in Operation Galgo has been found dead, an editorial explains how dope cheaters who pass tests are still found, and a researcher will probe into Kenyan running.
Two months ago the prospects for a successful indoor track season seemed about as rosy as winter slush. The combination of post-Olympic ennui and post-truce hostilities between the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Amateur Athletic Union made promoters wonder where they would get enough athletes to fill their programs or enough ticket buyers to fill their seats.
They need not have worried. What threatened to be one of track's dullest winters in years shows every sign of being its brightest and most exciting. Last week in San Francisco a crowd of 11,412 showed up at the Cow Palace for the first indoor meet of the season. No legitimate indoor records were jeopardized, but as a preview of things to come the meet was a rousing success.
First of all, it was revealed that there will be girls, lots of them. There will be plenty of visitors from abroad, too, the largest and most exotic group the indoor season has ever enjoyed. There will be imaginative new events that would have tickled P. T. Barnum. And finally, to assuage fears of the serious indoor track enthusiast that more cake than bread will be available, there will be lots of plain, nourishing competition.
Track on TV
Endurance, 6:00 AM tomorrow onFLiX
Running , 9:30 AM tomorrow on Showtime Family Zone
Prefontaine, 9:30 AM tomorrow on Showtime Showcase
News Links
Runner's World's Racing News has all the headlines: Millrose adds Galen Rupp and a 2-mile race, the Boston Indoor Games have a new title sponsor, and more.
Lolo Jones wins Mr. Universe's Tweet of the Week award.
Part 2 of iRunnerblog's interview with Shalane Flanagan.
Galen Rupp's 2011 season will have distinct and separate indoor and outdoor portions.
Olympic News: the USOC and IOC are opening discussions on a new revenue-sharing agreement, and GM paid big to be the lone auto advertiser for NBC's 2012 Olympic coverage.
TFN's Garry Hill says loud music and other histrionics get in the way of experiencing a track meet. Agreed. I've also noticed that a road race or triathlon that has a DJ is almost invariably poorly organized.
College news: Pre-season D-II rankings released, and Florida's super-sprinter/footballer Jeff Demps will miss the season opener (and maybe more).
Anti-doping news: The two Greek sprinters are finally in court for their 2004 Olympic antics, a key suspect in Operation Galgo has been found dead, an editorial explains how dope cheaters who pass tests are still found, and a researcher will probe into Kenyan running.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Superfan Daily: Hood to Coast Movie
There are no results from yesterday to report, no competitions of any note being held today, and no track and/or running-oriented items being broadcast on TV or the web in the next 24 hours.
There is, however, one rather big thing going on this evening. The documentary film Hood to Coast is being shown in theaters across the country, for one screening only. The film follows four teams competing in the famous long-distance relay race from Oregon’s Mount Hood to the Pacific Ocean. The race is a 20-hour 197-mile festival of crazy and the scenery is amazing, so I figure the film has to be pretty good. The reviews, what little there are, have been positive.
It’s highly unusual for a film like this one to get wide screening. The norm is either being shown only at a few film festivals or going straight to video. This is being shown all over the nation, even in decidedly second- or third-tier cities like the one where I live.
So go out and support it. Show that people do care for this kind of stuff. To see where it’s being shown in your area, go to the film’s website and they’ll help you out. You may want to purchase your tickets in advance, as there’s a possibility that the one-shot deal might sell out.
News Links
Runner’s World’s Daily News has all the headlines, the biggest of which is that Ryan Hall will run the Houston Half Marathon.
Kara Goucher returns to racing on Sunday after a maternity-induced layoff. runnersworld
The BBC talks to Mark Lewis-Francis, a surprise silver medalist at last year’s European Championships, about the upcoming seasons.
The IOC is meeting this week to, among other things, prepare for opening bidding for US television rights.
Top German high jumper Ariane Friedrich has now revealed that her achilles injury is a rupture, and she will miss the 2011 season.
Martin Bingisser makes a decent case that wind is a factor in hammer throwing.
Charlie Engle, one of the main guys in Running the Sahara, has been hit with a 21-month prison sentence.
Usain Bolt has been signed on for the 200 meters at Oslo’s Bislett Games in June. The timing of that meet in the Diamond League series makes it unlikely that he'll compete in either of the US meets.
David Rudisha will compete twice in the upcoming Athletics Australia tour, at meets in Melbourne on March 3 and Sydney on March 19.
Chris Thompson will attack the UK 10,000 meter record at the Stanford Invitational on April 30. He says he has to go for it now, before Mo Farah gets his turn and “puts it out of sight.”
Cross country news:
*Sylvia Kibet is skipping indoor track this year in favor of cross country
*Kenyan athletes must compete twice in local competitions to be considered for the World Cross Country team
*The first-ever African Cross Country Championships will be held two weeks prior to the World XC meet
There is, however, one rather big thing going on this evening. The documentary film Hood to Coast is being shown in theaters across the country, for one screening only. The film follows four teams competing in the famous long-distance relay race from Oregon’s Mount Hood to the Pacific Ocean. The race is a 20-hour 197-mile festival of crazy and the scenery is amazing, so I figure the film has to be pretty good. The reviews, what little there are, have been positive.
It’s highly unusual for a film like this one to get wide screening. The norm is either being shown only at a few film festivals or going straight to video. This is being shown all over the nation, even in decidedly second- or third-tier cities like the one where I live.
So go out and support it. Show that people do care for this kind of stuff. To see where it’s being shown in your area, go to the film’s website and they’ll help you out. You may want to purchase your tickets in advance, as there’s a possibility that the one-shot deal might sell out.
News Links
Runner’s World’s Daily News has all the headlines, the biggest of which is that Ryan Hall will run the Houston Half Marathon.
Kara Goucher returns to racing on Sunday after a maternity-induced layoff. runnersworld
The BBC talks to Mark Lewis-Francis, a surprise silver medalist at last year’s European Championships, about the upcoming seasons.
The IOC is meeting this week to, among other things, prepare for opening bidding for US television rights.
Top German high jumper Ariane Friedrich has now revealed that her achilles injury is a rupture, and she will miss the 2011 season.
Martin Bingisser makes a decent case that wind is a factor in hammer throwing.
Charlie Engle, one of the main guys in Running the Sahara, has been hit with a 21-month prison sentence.
Usain Bolt has been signed on for the 200 meters at Oslo’s Bislett Games in June. The timing of that meet in the Diamond League series makes it unlikely that he'll compete in either of the US meets.
David Rudisha will compete twice in the upcoming Athletics Australia tour, at meets in Melbourne on March 3 and Sydney on March 19.
Chris Thompson will attack the UK 10,000 meter record at the Stanford Invitational on April 30. He says he has to go for it now, before Mo Farah gets his turn and “puts it out of sight.”
Cross country news:
*Sylvia Kibet is skipping indoor track this year in favor of cross country
*Kenyan athletes must compete twice in local competitions to be considered for the World Cross Country team
*The first-ever African Cross Country Championships will be held two weeks prior to the World XC meet
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Superfan Daily: Exhibit on '36 Olympics and Jesse Owens
It recently came to my attention that the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage now has a special program titled “The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936”, a traveling exhibit of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It seeks to explain how the Olympic Games were used to softpedal the uglier sides of pre-war Germany.
Of interest to track fans in particular is an emphasis on Jesse Owens. Among the items displayed are his journal from those Olympics, one of his gold medals, and other items from the Ohio State University archives.
Normally I would go first and then plug the exhibit, but I did not find out about it until last week, well into its run. It opened on October 19 and will close on January 23. I will be there this Sunday.
The museum is located in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood. Guided tours are available for groups of ten or more on weekdays, and for individuals and/or smaller groups at 2 PM on Sundays. Admission is $12.
What’s On
The 54th Cross Country Internazionale Campaccio, an EAA Permit cross country meet, will take place tomorrow in the Italian township of San Giorgio su Legnano. The men’s race should be a good one, matching the world’s top XC runner, Joseph Ebuya, against the world record holder for road 10k and 15k, Leonard Komon.
Meet website
Schedule: Women (6k) at 12:30 PM (6:30 AM Eastern); men (10k) at 1:10 PM (7:10 AM Eastern)
Fidal preview (in Italian) / EAA preview
Track on TV
Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory, part of Universal Sports’ tribute to the late Bud Greenspan, will be on that channel at 9 PM on Thursday. It reruns at midnight.
News links
Runner’s World’s Racing News has all the headlines: athlete profiles and blogs, and an update on the Sammy Wanjiru situation.
San Diego will host the 2011 USATF cross country championships. Dathan Ritzenhein is expected to compete.
Ryan Bailey will double in the 60 and 200 for the US team in the five-nations meet in Glasgow at the end of January. The world's 6th-ranked 200 meter man, Bailey is the only athlete on any team who will double.
Nigerian-turned-Portugese sprinter Francis Obuikwelu, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, has been linked to the Spanish "Operation Galgo". He, of course, denies it.
Long jumper Brianna Glenn blogs about being relaxed and mean.
Unbroken, the best-selling book about miler/WWII POW Louis Zamperini, has been optioned for a film.
Arkansas' indoor track, among the world's fastest, has been refurbished and is ready to go. But the track used for the recent Commonwealth Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi is now too damaged to use, due to a faulty foundation.
Of interest to track fans in particular is an emphasis on Jesse Owens. Among the items displayed are his journal from those Olympics, one of his gold medals, and other items from the Ohio State University archives.
Normally I would go first and then plug the exhibit, but I did not find out about it until last week, well into its run. It opened on October 19 and will close on January 23. I will be there this Sunday.
The museum is located in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood. Guided tours are available for groups of ten or more on weekdays, and for individuals and/or smaller groups at 2 PM on Sundays. Admission is $12.
What’s On
The 54th Cross Country Internazionale Campaccio, an EAA Permit cross country meet, will take place tomorrow in the Italian township of San Giorgio su Legnano. The men’s race should be a good one, matching the world’s top XC runner, Joseph Ebuya, against the world record holder for road 10k and 15k, Leonard Komon.
Meet website
Schedule: Women (6k) at 12:30 PM (6:30 AM Eastern); men (10k) at 1:10 PM (7:10 AM Eastern)
Fidal preview (in Italian) / EAA preview
Track on TV
Sydney 2000: Stories of Olympic Glory, part of Universal Sports’ tribute to the late Bud Greenspan, will be on that channel at 9 PM on Thursday. It reruns at midnight.
News links
Runner’s World’s Racing News has all the headlines: athlete profiles and blogs, and an update on the Sammy Wanjiru situation.
San Diego will host the 2011 USATF cross country championships. Dathan Ritzenhein is expected to compete.
Ryan Bailey will double in the 60 and 200 for the US team in the five-nations meet in Glasgow at the end of January. The world's 6th-ranked 200 meter man, Bailey is the only athlete on any team who will double.
Nigerian-turned-Portugese sprinter Francis Obuikwelu, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, has been linked to the Spanish "Operation Galgo". He, of course, denies it.
Long jumper Brianna Glenn blogs about being relaxed and mean.
Unbroken, the best-selling book about miler/WWII POW Louis Zamperini, has been optioned for a film.
Arkansas' indoor track, among the world's fastest, has been refurbished and is ready to go. But the track used for the recent Commonwealth Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi is now too damaged to use, due to a faulty foundation.
Friday, October 29, 2010
What's On: The Weekend
Part 2
International
The Athens Classic Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will trace the legendary ancient route on Sunday from the plains of Marathon to Athens’ Pathanaikos Stadium, site of the 1896 Olympics. This year marks the 2500th anniversary of the Greek victory over the invading Persians at Marathon. There will be a huge celebration, with approximately double the usual number of entries (12,500) and a really cool finisher's medal.
Kenyans, of course, are expected to dominate the men's race, specifically Jonathan Kipkorir and Jacob Yator. The women's stars are Russians Irina Permitina and Olga Glok and Japan's Eri Hayakawa.
Race website
IAAF preview / Eurosport preview / Competitor.com preview
The Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will be run in the German city on Sunday. Alfons Juck reports that men’s entries include eighteen sub-2:10 runners, eight of them at sub-2:07:15. Leading women’s entries include World Half-Marathon silver medalist Dire Tune and Ethiopian half-marathon record holder Mare Dibaba.
Race website
IAAF preview
The Marseille Cassis Classique Internationale, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, will be run between the two French cities on Sunday. At 20.3 km, it’s just short of a true half-marathon.
Leading entries are Lelisa Desisa, who has run three quality half-marathons this year with a best time of 59:59, and Deriba Merga, who is a big question mark after dropping out of marathons Chicago and Seoul. Meseret Mengistu, 6th at the recent World Half-Marathon Championships, is favored to defend her title.
Race website
IAAF Preview
Track on TV
Pac-10 Championships Preview Show, 6:30 PM Friday at Flotrack.org
Pac-10 Championships Live Coverage, 11:30 AM Saturday at Flotrack.org
Endurance, 7:30 AM Saturday on The Movie Channel Extra
Prefontaine, 9:00 AM Saturday on The Movie Channel Extra
Running the Sahara, 8:45 AM and 4:35 PM Saturday on Showtime Extreme
International
The Athens Classic Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will trace the legendary ancient route on Sunday from the plains of Marathon to Athens’ Pathanaikos Stadium, site of the 1896 Olympics. This year marks the 2500th anniversary of the Greek victory over the invading Persians at Marathon. There will be a huge celebration, with approximately double the usual number of entries (12,500) and a really cool finisher's medal. Kenyans, of course, are expected to dominate the men's race, specifically Jonathan Kipkorir and Jacob Yator. The women's stars are Russians Irina Permitina and Olga Glok and Japan's Eri Hayakawa.
Race website
IAAF preview / Eurosport preview / Competitor.com preview
The Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will be run in the German city on Sunday. Alfons Juck reports that men’s entries include eighteen sub-2:10 runners, eight of them at sub-2:07:15. Leading women’s entries include World Half-Marathon silver medalist Dire Tune and Ethiopian half-marathon record holder Mare Dibaba.
Race website
IAAF preview
The Marseille Cassis Classique Internationale, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, will be run between the two French cities on Sunday. At 20.3 km, it’s just short of a true half-marathon.
Leading entries are Lelisa Desisa, who has run three quality half-marathons this year with a best time of 59:59, and Deriba Merga, who is a big question mark after dropping out of marathons Chicago and Seoul. Meseret Mengistu, 6th at the recent World Half-Marathon Championships, is favored to defend her title.
Race website
IAAF Preview
Track on TV
Pac-10 Championships Preview Show, 6:30 PM Friday at Flotrack.org
Pac-10 Championships Live Coverage, 11:30 AM Saturday at Flotrack.org
Endurance, 7:30 AM Saturday on The Movie Channel Extra
Prefontaine, 9:00 AM Saturday on The Movie Channel Extra
Running the Sahara, 8:45 AM and 4:35 PM Saturday on Showtime Extreme
Monday, October 18, 2010
What's On This Week
Basically, nothing. It's fall, there's no action besides cross country and road racing.
Track on TV
Prefontaine, 6:00 AM Monday and 10:10 AM Friday on The Movie Channel Xtra
Running the Sahara, 1:05 PM and 10:00 PM Tuesday on Showtime Extreme; 9:45 AM Thursday on Showtime Next
Continental Cup Day 1 rerun, 3:00 AM Tuesday on Universal Sports
Continental Cup Day 2 rerun, 3:00 AM Wednesday on Universal Sports
World Half Marathon Championships, 1:00 PM Friday on Universal Sports
Track on TV
Prefontaine, 6:00 AM Monday and 10:10 AM Friday on The Movie Channel Xtra
Running the Sahara, 1:05 PM and 10:00 PM Tuesday on Showtime Extreme; 9:45 AM Thursday on Showtime Next
Continental Cup Day 1 rerun, 3:00 AM Tuesday on Universal Sports
Continental Cup Day 2 rerun, 3:00 AM Wednesday on Universal Sports
World Half Marathon Championships, 1:00 PM Friday on Universal Sports
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Race Walking Movie
Yes, I'm serious...sort of.Race Walkers is a mockumentary about the elite American race walking brothers, Jeb and Joel Callahan. Coached by wheelchair ridden race walking great Chuck Kuel (who's sole claim to fame was qualifying for the boycotted 1980 Moscow Olympics), living in a trailer park with their mother in small town Golden, Colorado, and haunted by the legend of their Olympic qualifying deceased father, the boys must find a way to qualify for the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon or forever suffer the reality of small town failure and the perpetual scrutiny of the athletic world. Read more...
World premiere Sunday night at the Festivus Film Festival in Denver. Available on DVD from the creators.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Bad Running Movies
I'm a fan of so-bad-they're-good movies, such as Can't Stop The Music. If you do too, you may want to check out this discussion thread.
It sounds as though the one most up my alley is Courage, a sort of Deliverance with ultrarunners in the southwestern desert.
It sounds as though the one most up my alley is Courage, a sort of Deliverance with ultrarunners in the southwestern desert.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Track Movies
Today on NPR's Only A Game, host Bill Littlefield interviewed Ray Didinger about his Ultimate Book of Sports Movies. I haven't seen it yet, except for the table of contents, but it looks like he and coauthor Glen Macnow did their homework. The usual list of winners are here (Rocky, Hoosiers, Raging Bull) along with some cult classics (The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, Best In Show, Vision Quest).
There are only three track movies listed: two obvious choices (Chariots of Fire, Without Limits) and one not-so-well-known film, The Jericho Mile.
An issue brought up in the interview was the fact that pro athletes and coaches tended to list as their favorites movies that came from different sports. They said it was because they were too critical of the details in their sport that weren't right in a film, whereas they lacked that level of knowledge for other sports. I'd say this is definitely true for me with track films; for example, I can't bear to watch Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (well, with her clothes on at least).
I've written before that I think Chariots of Fire is a very good film. What else would I rate near the top? In the non-documentary category...
1. Chariots of Fire
The best film made about track & field, and the action was very realistic as well. Bears repeated viewing, but not heavily.
2. College
This is a relatively short (66 minutes) silent film from 1927 starring Buster Keaton. He's a nerd who tries out for every sport in college, with hilariously awful results. Keaton's physical comedy and "Great Stone Face" is on fine display. The people who filmed this knew track & field.
3. On The Edge
Bruce Dern, a pretty darn good runner off-screen, plays an aging man trying to regain some semblance of his former glory in the only place where he could realistically outdo his past self: the Dipsea race. It has the most realistic running scenes I've yet seen.
4. Run, Fat Boy, Run
Maybe even funnier than College.
5. The Jericho Mile
The film is decent at best, the action scenes barely passable. but the backstory on how they made it is amazing. It was filmed at Folsom Prison (of Blues fame) and the three main prison gangs--Aryan Nation, Black Muslims, and Latin Kings--agreed to a truce during filming. They were extras and helped build the track in the film, which still exists some 30 years later.
Honorable Mention: Running Brave, Without Limits, Meatballs, The Four Minute Mile
Dreck: Prefontaine, Personal Best, The Long Run
Worst Track Movie Ever: Saint Ralph (good movie, unwatchable running)
There are only three track movies listed: two obvious choices (Chariots of Fire, Without Limits) and one not-so-well-known film, The Jericho Mile.
An issue brought up in the interview was the fact that pro athletes and coaches tended to list as their favorites movies that came from different sports. They said it was because they were too critical of the details in their sport that weren't right in a film, whereas they lacked that level of knowledge for other sports. I'd say this is definitely true for me with track films; for example, I can't bear to watch Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (well, with her clothes on at least).
I've written before that I think Chariots of Fire is a very good film. What else would I rate near the top? In the non-documentary category...
1. Chariots of Fire
The best film made about track & field, and the action was very realistic as well. Bears repeated viewing, but not heavily.
2. College
This is a relatively short (66 minutes) silent film from 1927 starring Buster Keaton. He's a nerd who tries out for every sport in college, with hilariously awful results. Keaton's physical comedy and "Great Stone Face" is on fine display. The people who filmed this knew track & field.
3. On The Edge
Bruce Dern, a pretty darn good runner off-screen, plays an aging man trying to regain some semblance of his former glory in the only place where he could realistically outdo his past self: the Dipsea race. It has the most realistic running scenes I've yet seen.
4. Run, Fat Boy, Run
Maybe even funnier than College.
5. The Jericho Mile
The film is decent at best, the action scenes barely passable. but the backstory on how they made it is amazing. It was filmed at Folsom Prison (of Blues fame) and the three main prison gangs--Aryan Nation, Black Muslims, and Latin Kings--agreed to a truce during filming. They were extras and helped build the track in the film, which still exists some 30 years later.
Honorable Mention: Running Brave, Without Limits, Meatballs, The Four Minute Mile
Dreck: Prefontaine, Personal Best, The Long Run
Worst Track Movie Ever: Saint Ralph (good movie, unwatchable running)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
What's On Tomorrow
Can't Stop the Music
FLIX, 6:35-8:40 AM and 5:55-8:00 PM
There were many important events that helped push track from (nominally) amateur to openly professional. The International Track Association and the Cascade Run-Off are the two most well known. But I wonder if Bruce Jenner's various embarrassing attempts to make a living from his fame also had an effect. His work in this film was nominated for, but did not "win", the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. You could imagine IAAF and IOC bigwigs agreeing to pay athletes in order to assure they'd never make films like this again.
It is, as Leonard Pinth-Garnell used to say, "truly bad, almost unbearably putrid". Like he, I exult in its awfulness.
FLIX, 6:35-8:40 AM and 5:55-8:00 PM
There were many important events that helped push track from (nominally) amateur to openly professional. The International Track Association and the Cascade Run-Off are the two most well known. But I wonder if Bruce Jenner's various embarrassing attempts to make a living from his fame also had an effect. His work in this film was nominated for, but did not "win", the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. You could imagine IAAF and IOC bigwigs agreeing to pay athletes in order to assure they'd never make films like this again.
It is, as Leonard Pinth-Garnell used to say, "truly bad, almost unbearably putrid". Like he, I exult in its awfulness.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Run Fatboy Run
I finally got around to seeing Run Fatboy Run the other night, and I was pleasantly surprised. The little I'd heard of it made it sound less than fully worth my interest and I was flat wrong. It's quite silly and also quite good.Dennis (Simon Pegg) ditched his pregnant fiance (Thande Newton) at the altar, and in the five years afterwards his life has been nothing but shit. She has taken up with a hotshot American (Hank Azaria) who, among other things, runs marathons. More or less on a dare, Dennis says he'll run the fictitious Nike River Run marathon, and by doing so he thinks somehow he'll win his woman back.
The film manages to lampoon mainstays of the underdog sports movie genre, including a bizarre pair of "coaches". The filmmakers did their homework; I recognized two camera shots, one lifted straight from a Bud Greenspan film and the other from the 1982 Ironman Triathlon. Those alone make it worth shelf space in the Superfan's collection of track movies, but it's also very funny.
350 meters! (out of a possible 400)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
New Jericho Mile?
You may remember the classic 1979 made-for-TV movie, The Jericho Mile. If IMDB is to be believed, a remake is due to be released this year. Other than that I can find no info about it. Can any of the readers out there dig something up and help us out?
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Running Movies Update
Mark Hale-Brown's excellent site, RunningMovies.com, has just been redone in version 3.0. Every film has its own page, and films are organized by genre, topic, and year of release. Ordering information is detailed and well explained for those that must be ordered from overseas. A great, great resource.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Top Sports Movies?
Entertainment Weekly has released The Sports 25: The Best Thrill-of-Victory, Agony-of-Defeat Films Since 1983.Number 16: Without Limits
EW fails to mention the fantastic but uncredited portrayal of Sid Sink, unfortunately the only one in a feature-length film. Yet.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
New Running Movie Out
The film I saw yesterday barely qualifies for Mark Hale-Browns site, runningmovies.com, but I guess technicalities count. A couple of scenes in the new Jim Carrey flick, Yes Man, show his love interest leading a running/photography group (they put in about five miles every morning while shooting pics on the run).
As for the film itself, it's far better than I expected and not the usual Jim Carrey shtick (although they don't go light on the physical humor). One way to judge a film is how well it accomplishes its goals. This one sets out to get laughs, entertain, make you feel good, and even think a tiny little bit, and does all of them well. It's based on a highly acclaimed book by Danny Wallace that reportedly is deeper in its 340 pages than the film is in its 104 minutes (go figure).
I am a Type B personality in most things, but when it comes to running I am a competitive cuss who finds it very difficult to make an easy day easy enough. That's not too bad when you're 20, but I definitely am not 20 anymore. I may try this running/photography thing once a week in order to slow down and take in the scenery.
As for the film itself, it's far better than I expected and not the usual Jim Carrey shtick (although they don't go light on the physical humor). One way to judge a film is how well it accomplishes its goals. This one sets out to get laughs, entertain, make you feel good, and even think a tiny little bit, and does all of them well. It's based on a highly acclaimed book by Danny Wallace that reportedly is deeper in its 340 pages than the film is in its 104 minutes (go figure).
I am a Type B personality in most things, but when it comes to running I am a competitive cuss who finds it very difficult to make an easy day easy enough. That's not too bad when you're 20, but I definitely am not 20 anymore. I may try this running/photography thing once a week in order to slow down and take in the scenery.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Run, Fat Boy, Run
A new track-related movie came out yesterday: Run, Fat Boy, Run.
Will I see it? Probably not. Movies.com gave it a D+ and the NY Times called it "just another lap around the cliché track". This just goes to prove my long-held belief that David Schwimmer is about the unfunniest guy who ever starred on a hit sitcom.
Will I see it? Probably not. Movies.com gave it a D+ and the NY Times called it "just another lap around the cliché track". This just goes to prove my long-held belief that David Schwimmer is about the unfunniest guy who ever starred on a hit sitcom.
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