Best Vertigo Documentary: Free Solo (2018)
- IMDb rating : 8.2/10
- Genre : Documentary, Adventure, Sports
- Starring : Alex Honnold/ Tommy Caldwell/ Jimmy King
- Director : Jimmy King, Elizabeth Chai Vashay
- Movie Rating : PG-13
- Performance time : 1 hour 40 minutes
"Free Solo" is one of the most compelling sports documentaries you'll ever see, a sublime (pun intended) technical achievement and a stunning portrait of one man's extreme determination.
"Free Solo," which chronicles climber Alex Honnold's experience of free climbing El Capitan in June 2017, was directed and filmed by a team of experienced climbers, which helps create a An intimacy that can sometimes be nauseating. Even knowing that Honnold survived the climb, it's hard not to hold our breath watching every second of his attempt.
"Free Solo" premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and won the People's Choice Award in the Documentary category. It also beat RBG to win the Best Documentary Award at the 91st Academy Awards.
02 out of 10Best for people who don’t watch sports movies: Moneyball (2011)
- IMDb rating : 7.6/10
- Genre : Biography, Drama, Sports
- Starring : Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill
- Director : Bennett Miller
- Movie Rating : PG-13
- operation hours : 2 hours and 13 minutes
Moneyball is the perfect movie for those who don't usually like sports movies, it's a pure entertainment drama about baseball. The film follows Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) and his efforts to build a competitive team for the 2002 season.
Thanks in large part to Aaron Sorkin's nimble script, Moneyball goes some way to making discussions of MLB economics and player analysis engaging. Pitt's chemistry with co-star Jonah Hill is also what makes this film so enjoyable.
Moneyball was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2011, nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Pitt), Best Supporting Actor (Hill), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor. Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing.
03 out of 10Most exciting racing movie: Rush (2013)
- IMDb rating : 8.1/10
- Genre : Action, Biography, Drama
- Starring : Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde
- Director : Ron Howard
- Movie Rating : right
- Running time : 2 hours and 3 minutes
While "Ford vs. Ferrari" won an Oscar, the best racing drama of the 2010s is undoubtedly Ron Howard's "Speed." Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth star as Niki Lauda and James Hunt, respectively, two real-life Formula One drivers who experienced a fierce rivalry in the 1970s.
It's an intense ride, both on and off the track, that shows how unhealthy and dangerous the pursuit of perfection can be. As exciting and beautifully shot as the real-life races are, it's hard not to feel terrified every time the movie's protagonists step behind the wheel.
One of Howard's best films to date, "Rush" received a number of high-profile nominations, including a nomination for Best Picture Drama and "Brühl" at the Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor.
04 out of 10Best Sports Underdog Story: Miracle (2004)
- IMDb rating : 7.5/10
- type : biography, drama, history
- Starring : Kurt Russell/Patricia Clarkson/Nathan West
- Director : Gavin O'Connor
- Movie Rating : PG
- operation hours : 2 hours and 15 minutes
Underdog stories are an overused trope, but that doesn't mean they can't be done well. "Miracle " is a dramatic retelling of one of the greatest underdog stories in American sports history: the U.S. men's hockey team's victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Kurt Russell plays the team's coach Herb Brooks in this movie, and he gives such a powerful speech during the game that it's hard not to be emotionally affected by it all.
While it's easy to dismiss "Wonder" as propaganda for American exceptionalism, it's a universal story about overcoming adversity and chasing your dreams. "Wonder" received a positive response from critics, with much of the praise focused on Russell's starring performance. The film won the 2004 ESPY Award for Best Sports Movie.
05 out of 10Best Female-led Sports Movie: A League of Their Own (1992)
- IMDb rating : 7.3/10
- type : comedy, drama, sports
- Starring : Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty
- Director : Penny Marshall
- Movie rating : PG
- Running time : 2 hours and 8 minutes
The famous line "There's no crying in baseball" may have been uttered by Tom Hanks' Jimmy Duggan, but everyone knows A League of Their Own is all about the ladies. In the movie, Geena Davis and Lori Petty play rival sisters who join a women's baseball league during World War II.
Penny Marshall's film is a funny and touching tribute to baseball and the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Whether it's the smart and snappy script or the stunts performed by its many actresses, few sports movies are as enjoyable to watch.
Despite being often left off many "all-time sports movies" lists, A League of Their Own remains the highest-grossing baseball movie in history and has become a beloved classic in its own right.
06 out of 10Best Game for Binging—OJ: Made in the USA (2016)
- IMDb rating : 8.9/10
- type : documentary, biography, crime
- Starring : OJ Simpson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese
- Director : Ezra Edelman
- Movie Rating : Not Applicable (not recommended for younger viewers due to graphic archival footage)
- Running time : 7 hours and 47 minutes
Whether you view it as a feature or a miniseries, it's hard to deny that "OJ: Made in America" is a powerful work of documentary filmmaking. With more than seven hours of in-depth examination of O.J. Simpson's life and career, "Made in America" is more than just a sports documentary. While the film tells the story of Simpson's rise from college football prodigy to NFL superstar, the film also uses its themes to examine the broader context of race and celebrity in America to great effect.
OJ: Made in America won multiple industry awards, including an Academy Award for Best Documentary. It is the longest film ever to be nominated for and win an Oscar. It prompted the Academy to ban future multi-part or limited series documentaries from qualifying in the documentary category.
07 out of 10Best High School Sports Movie: Friday Night Lights (2004)
- IMDb rating : 7.2/10
- type : action, drama, sports
- Starring : Billy Bob Thornton Jay Hernandez Derek Luke
- Director : Peter Berg
- Movie Rating : PG-13
- Running time : 1 hour 58 minutes
A film about football and its impact on millions of players and fans, Friday Night Lights is a must-see if you want to understand why the sport is so important in American culture.
The film, based on HG Bissinger's book of the same name, tells the story of a Texas high school football team that won the 1988 state championship. Starring Billy Bob Thornton and a host of up-and-coming young stars, Friday Night Lights is a great high school movie and a thrilling sports drama.
Friday Night Lights received mostly critical acclaim, but its most important legacy is the television show that launched two years later. It aired from 2006 to 2011 and was arguably even better than the movie.
08 out of 10Best Sports Reboot: Creed (2015)
- IMDb rating : 7.6/10
- type : drama, sports
- Starring : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson
- director : Ryan Coogler
- Movie Rating : PG-13
- Running time : 2 hours and 13 minutes
"Rocky" may still be king, but "Creed" is the worthy heir to the boxing movie crown. Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed, who plays the role of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Under the guidance of Stallone), he rose to prominence in the boxing world.
Written and directed by future "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler, "Tenet" goes some way to honoring the legacy of the "Rocky" franchise while crafting a solid story for fans old and new.
Tenet received an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and even sparked awards buzz, with Stallone well-deserved receiving a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
09 out of 10Best Sports Documentary: "Basketball Dreams" (1994)
- IMDb rating : 8.3/10
- Genre : Documentary, Drama, Sports
- Starring : William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates
- Director : Steve James
- Movie rating : PG-13
- Performance time : 2 hours and 50 minutes
Arguably the most influential sports documentary ever made, Hoops remains a profound, groundbreaking examination of the appeal of professional sports and the brutality of the American dream. Steve James' film, which follows William Gates and Arthur Agee, two Chicago-area teenagers pursuing their dreams of playing in the NBA, is known for its ambitious ambitions. The film, which took five years to shoot, not only tells the story of a few teenagers trying to make a living playing basketball, but also the dark side of sports as a whole.
"Hoop Dreams" is often considered one of the best documentaries ever made, and received near-universal acclaim from critics. Although it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing, its absence in the Best Documentary category caused significant controversy.
10 out of 10Best Blue Collar Sports Comedy: Goon (2011)
- IMDb rating : 6.8/10
- Genre : Comedy, Drama, Sports
- Starring : Seann William Scott/Jay Baruchel/Alison Pill
- Director : Michael Dawes
- Movie rating : R
- Running time : 1 hour 32 minutes
"Goon" tells the story of a chaotic underdog, a brutal sports comedy with a surprising amount of heart. The underrated Seann William Scott stars as Doug Glatt, an enforcer on a minor league hockey team who would rather knock out opponents than score.
Although Gunn writes "silly comedy" all over the book, it paints a sympathetic picture of failed athletes while paying homage to the all-but-obsolete enforcer role in professional hockey.
Goon , which stars Canadian actors including Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill and Eugene Levy, received four nominations at the first Canadian Screen Awards , and launched the sequel "Goon: The Last of the Enforcers" in 2017.
