The Screening Log - blogging film

Entries in Sports (6)

Monday

26Oct2009

Steve Carell to star in new golf comedy

Monday, October 26, 2009 at 5:48PM | By

The guy from "The Office" gears up for a round of big-screen golfing. Steve Carell is in talks to join "Missing Links," a sports comedy Warner Bros. is developing based on the novel by ESPN journalist Rick Reilly.

Risky Business says funny guy Carell would play a golfer who's played at a run-down Boston golf course for years and now finally decides to do whatever it takes to get to play his favorite sport at an elite club.

Jay Lavender, who previousy penned the shockingly terrible comedy "The Break-Up," is taking a stab at the script. He's also prepping "The Golden Tux."

Carell is a busy man these days. The star of "Get Smart" has several projects coming soon, including "Date Night" and "Dinner for Schmucks." He is also voicing a character in 2010's "Despicable Me."

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Saturday

11Oct2008

Review: "The Express"

Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 10:24PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Seen on: October 11, 2008

The players: Director: Gary Fleder, Writer: Charles Leavitt, Cast: Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Nelsan Ellis, Kris Wolff, Darrin DeWitt Henson

Facts of interest: Based on the book by Robert C. Gallagher.

The plot: The film tells the story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

Our thoughts: As far as inspirational sports movies go, Gary Fleder’s “The Express” hits all the right notes. Based on a true story, it centers on an extraordinary athlete who proved his passion for the game and gave his people a reason to stand up and cheer during a tough time in the history of the United States. Yes, the film mostly plays it by the book, but in this case, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

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'The Express' web reviews

Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 8:35AM | By

Franck Tabouring

Gary Fleder's "The Express" tells the story of Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961. Dennis Quaid co-stars as Ernie's coach. Let's quickly look at what other online critics have to say about the feature ( I will post my review later today):

• Cinematical's Jett Kernion: "'The Express' follows the usual conventions of sports films, which can be satisfying and even comforting if you like the genre."

• Mack Rawden at Cinema Blend: "It’s just a series of brouhahas, tied together by the fact they all involved Ernie Davis."

• LatinoReview's George Roush: "It's a nice drama, but its formula is just like every other inspirational sports movie."

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Review: "The Longshots"

Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 2:15PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Seen on: August 24, 2008

The players: Director: Fred Durst, Writer: Nick Santora, Cast: Ice Cube , Keke Palmer, Tasha Smith, Jill Marie Jones, Dash Mihok

Facts of interest: Fred Durst also directed "The Education of Charlie Banks."

The plot: A former high school football star turns his niece into the star quarterback of the local team.

Our quick thoughts: If you’re currently keeping a lookout for a traditional feel-good movie that doesn’t dare stepping into new territory, make sure you see “The Longshots,” which is based on the true story of an 11-year-old girl who became the first female to play in the Pop Warner football tournament.

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Sunday

24Aug2008

Check out the trailer for 'Goal 2'

Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 7:53AM | By

Franck Tabouring

Soccer is obviously not a huge thing (yet) in the U.S., but Danny Cannon's "Goal!" still found its way into theaters in 2006 and pulled in $4.2 million domestically. I know that's not much, but the film at least had a very solid international career. If you saw and liked the first film, you can now gear up for the sequel, "Goal II: Living the Dream," which is currently scheduled for limited release on Aug. 29, 2008.

After gaining the necessary experience in professional soccer at Newcastle United, lead character Santiago now finally gets a shot at international fame when he's transferring to Real Madrid. You can watch the trailer just above. The film is directed by Jamue Collet-Serra and stars Anna Friel, Miriam Colon, Stephen Dillane and Sean Pertwee.

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Wednesday

06Aug2008

Adam Shankman orders ‘Pizza’

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 7:27AM | By

Franck Tabouring

“Hairspray” director Adam Shankman will direct the big-screen version of John Grisham’s best-seller “Playing for Pizza,” according to Variety.

The book centers on an experienced NFL quarterback who flees to Italy after messing up his chance to take his team to the Super Bowl. There, he ends up working with a semiprofessional team struggling to win the Italian National Football League.

"We want to make this grittier than the book, a cross between 'North Dallas Forty' and 'Jerry Maguire,'” Shankman told Variety.

Shankman is directing a script by J. Mills Goodloe, who recently collaborated on the screenplay for Sunu Gonera’s “Pride.”

Shankman’s directing credits also include “Bringing Down the House” and “The Pacifier.” He also recently completed “Bedtime Stories,” a family comedy starring Adam Sandler and Courteney Cox.