Top 10: Sports Movies!

This week, I thought I’d look at my favorite sports movies.  I (mostly) limited it to movies about kids and teenagers, though there are a couple older ones as well.

Let start with a few honorable mentions: She’s the Man, Rookie of the Year, The Mighty Ducks, Rudy, Space Jam, and Dodgeball.

And now, on to the list!

10

Cutting Edge

The proto-figure skating movie, where the hockey player has to transition to figure skating for some reason or other.  This one was done exceptionally well, and has characters that are relatable. “Toe pick!”

9

Cool Runnings

This was such a fun movie.  The based on a true story of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team, and was tons of fun.  Even though they turned the ‘little guy comes from behind to win’ trope with the guys losing, there were still tons of great moments to enjoy.   Not to mention the resurgence of “I can see clearly now,” which so super fun to sing along to.

8

The Sandlot

A new kid moves to town, and makes friends through baseball.  Not that the new kid even knew what baseball was, what with his ridiculously long-billed hat and no knowledge of Babe Ruth.  But that didn’t stop him from a summer of hijinks with the best friends he ever found.  A great movie that only scored so low because the sports portion, while a major plot point, was almost incidental to it.  It was a coming of age story, not a sports one.  Still great, though.

7

A League of Their Own

Five words: “There’s no crying in baseball!”  This movie had an all star cast, and was just fantastic.  I didn’t rank it higher because it featured mostly adults, but the story is great.  While the men were off to World War 2 and whatnot, it was decided that the women should play baseball to fill the gap.  So we had the normal baseball drama, except with women.  And Rosie O’Donnell.

6

The Big Green

The requisite soccer movie.  Even though it was only made because soccer was becoming huge at the time, it was still a fun one.  I remember the overhead shot of all the kids chasing after the ball like U5 players, all in a clump, movement looking vaguely like a game of snake.  Of course, they manage to win over the ‘evil’ team, and everyone was happy, the end.

5

Angels in the Outfield

I remember watching this movie over and over again, and not just because the day care kids loved it.  One of the first movie appearances by the current it guy, Joseph Gordan Levitt,  it followed the story of a boy in foster care who prayed that God would let the Angels win the pennant so his dad would come home.  And what do you know, God sent actual angels to help the terrible ball club!  This was such a sweet movie, and the ending’ll get ya every time.

4

Little Giants

I really really liked this movie as a kid.  Peewee football was never so interesting as when Devon Sawa decided to play.  So, Becky wants to play on her uncle’s team, and even though she’s clearly better than some of the boys on the team, she gets cut anyway.  Her dad doesn’t take that sitting down, and they make their own team of kids that really have no business playing football, and Devon Sawa.  Becky trying, and usually failing at being more girly really resonated with me, and I still enjoy the heck out of this movie whenever it is on.

3

The Blind Side

This is the newest movie on the list, and an Oscar winner to boot.  The life story of Michael Oher, who came from an incredibly impoverished background to go on to play in the NFL, thanks to being taken in by the Touheys.  This is a great story, and it is put together really well.  There have been several complaints from people that say, Oh, the Touhey’s only did it to get Michael into their alma mater, their ulterior motive is a terrible terrible thing.  But honestly?  They pulled a boy out of poverty, out from a terrible neighborhood that would have probably gotten him killed.  Would those people rather Michael Oher be dead, now?  Cause he would have been.  Anyway, great movie, fantastic story, go see it if you haven’t already.

2

The Mighty Ducks 2

This movie is sooo awesome.  It took everything we loved from the first movie, and made it bigger, better, and more awesome.  The suck to great montage felt more real, and the new characters were fun as well.  Of course, the best part for me comes from outside the movie, from Aziz Ansari.  Watch, and enjoy!

And my number one sports movie is

1

Bring it On

Oh, my goodness.  This movie is freaking amazing.  From the quips to the cheers, everything made you laugh or cheer.  Even with double the training montage, it was great.  This was much more of a teenage story than a kid one, but it was so great, I had to put it at number one!

Top 10: TGIF!

And we’re back, with another top 10!  This week, I’m going to look at my favorite shows on ABC’s TGIF lineup.

Started in 1989, the original run of TGIF lasted until 2000.  There were quite a few one season or less shows I don’t really remember, but there were also a bunch that lasted for quite a few seasons.

No honorable mentions this week, since the one I remember outside of my top 10 I didn’t like.

So, to start things off…

10

Clueless

Yes. This was based off the movie, and it was pretty fun.  Alicia Silverstone didn’t return, in favor of the blond girl from Are You Afraid of the Dark, but Brittany Murphy and Stacey Dash came back, as well as several of the teachers and family.  This was kind of brainless fun.  It was “White Girl Problems” before that was a thing, but you didn’t hate Cher for it, it was just how she was raised.

9

Teen Angel

Marty and Steve were best friends, until Marty ate a six month old cheese burger from under Steve’s bed.  Now Marty’s dead, and…they’re still best friends because Marty is Steve’s guardian angel.  Weird premise, but it was to go along with the supernatural theme of the week, apparently.  This was another throwaway show, as it barely lasted a season, but it has stuck in my mind all these years, so who knows?

8

Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper

This was about a teacher/basketball coach at a school in Ohio.  I don’t remember too many of the details of this one, but I do remember enjoying it, and watching Lori Beth Dinberg outside of her All That confines.  It was apparently on for five seasons, who knew?

7

Step By Step

Ahh, the Lamert/Foster family.  A new retelling of the Brady Bunch story, Carol Foster, with her three kids, and Frank Lambert, with his three, get married, and the families combine in some interesting ways.  Dana and JT hate each other, Karen tries to get Al to be more girlie, and the two younger boys tried to get noticed.  It was a fun show, even if it did try too hard some times *cough*Cody*cough*

6

Sister Sister

Tia and Tamara Mowry starred as…wait for it…twins.  Yeah, surprise surprise.  They were separated at birth, and discover each other in the mall.  Typical twin shenanigans followed, though the girls definitely had their own things at the same time.  The show actually only lasted two seasons on TGIF, but had an additional four on The WB.

5

Full House

Who doesn’t love the Tanners?  Danny, Uncle Jesse, Joey, DJ, Steph and Michelle were a constant in my TV lineup, even after the show was cancelled due to all the syndication deals it has.  Terribly saccharine, this show really knew how to try to get a person to feel for the characters.  That isn’t to say they were successful all, or even most of the time, but they tried, gosh darn it, and we like them for it.

4

Dinosaurs

Yes, the show that made ‘Not the Mama’ popular.  This was a live action show, all the characters were giant costumes that the puppeteers wore, and voices were dubbed in.  It was a silly, fun little show that ended with the dad ending the world.  Happy time for all! 

3

Family Matters

“Did I do thaaaaaat?”  A common refrain heard ever Friday night, when Steve Urkel did something stupid.  This was a great show, and even though it was a comedy, the characters learned, and grew.  I don’t think many people know this:  Steve and Laura get married in the end.  Yes, Steve.  And Laura.  Not Stephon, not geeky Laura, but Steve and Laura.  This show, along with character development, was exceptionally whacky, mostly due to Steve and his crazy inventions.  We loved him for it though, and the show was great because of him.  Though the whole, ‘trying to make Jaleel White look cool’ failed every time, cause he is one weird looking dude.

2

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

Another terribly fun show.  At least this one didn’t try to be based in reality with it’s whackiness.  Everyone rooted for Sabrina and Harvey to get together, and they eventually did…in the series finale on another network.  The situations were almost always enjoyable, and even if they did change the rules approximately three times an episode, it was still a good show, and one that stands the test of time, even if it’s fashions don’t.

And the number one show is…

1

Boy Meets World

Another top pick I’m sure no one is surprised over.  I love this show so much.  The characters are fantastic, the situations, for the most part, are based in reality, and feel as though they are handled in a way that is, if not how normal people would handle them, at least done in the way we would expect the characters to deal with them.  Cory and Topanga 4eva!

Top 10: Favorite Kid and YA book series

Yay, it’s list time!  Today’s list is my favorite juvenile and young adult book series.  I was an AVID reader as a kid, and much of my time was taken up with series of books.  I loved knowing I would read more about the characters the next month, and my bookshelves were full of my many obsessions.  Dad was constantly trying to build me enough storage to hold them all, and never succeeded, cause the books kept coming out like clockwork.

Now, for this list, I had to set a few parameters, because otherwise the list would be massive.  My main requirements were more than five books(sorry Hunger Games!), easily expandable on the main charaters(this ruled out Harry Potter, only because the series had a definite ending point), and the books had to come first(so no Full House or Ghostwriter books).

I didn’t limit myself to only YA books either, I remember devouring even the easy reader chapter books in the early morning, awake before the alarm clock even woke me up.

Other than that, most everything was fair game.

Before we start, a few honorable mentions:

The Princess Diaries

Ramona & Friends

Goosebumps

T*Witches

The Magic School Bus

Choose Your Own Adventure

Captain Underpants

The Bathroom Reader series(I know, technically not YA, but I so enjoyed it as a kid!)

Chicken Soup for the various Souls(see above)

Now that that’s out of the way, lets head out to the list proper, starting with…

Top 10 time!

Ah, Saturday.  A good day to have a good cry, no?  Today, I’m going to look back at my favorite weepy moments in sitcoms.  Several of these are ‘a very special episode,’ but most are attempting ‘whiplash poignancy,’ with varying degrees of success.

And now, without further ado, get ready to cry!

First, some honorable mentions:

Too many Scrubs episodes to note

Full House-Papuli passing away

Blossom-just about every episode here too

10

8 Simple Rules-John Ritter dies

Yes, this one was forced by real life circumstances, but dang if I don’t get misty-eyed every time.  A pre-BBT Penny, Katey Segal and the other kids really nailed it with the emotion of the scene.  Of course, the show didn’t hold up well after that, but what can you expect when the main focus of the show unexpectedly dies?

Top 10!

Today, I look back at cartoons.  More specifically, Saturday morning cartoons that I enjoyed when I was a kid.  These are the ones I enjoyed, though so person opinion reigns, and your mileage may vary.

Before we start, a few honorable mentions:

Muppet Babies

X-Men

Garfield and Friends

Pokemon

And now, on with the show!

10

Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

This show was tons of fun, and the kids were great as well.  And who didn’t love the theme song?

Top 10

Today we go back to the 90’s and find some computer games that I played over and over again

MY TOP TEN OLD SCHOOL COMPUTER GAMES!

I’m skipping consol games, only because we didn’t get a consol until late in the N64 cycle, and thus missed out on most of the video games from then.

FIRST: A couple of honorable mentions.

Jill of the Jungle-a fun little platformer with shapeshifting puzzle rooms.

Duke Nukem-another platformer that was great fun, and the replay factor was very high.

Pipedream-a puzzle game where you tried to make a path for the slime though the pipe pieces given.

Wolfenstein-Doom for the WWII crowd, I didn’t play this one so much as navigate for other playing.

Sim Farm-Run your own farm!  What not to love, besides escaped animals, buggy fields, encroaching towns, and polluted water supply?  It was a fun little diversion, though

And now... 

Number 10:

Sim Ant

This game was great.  I loved sending new colonies out, and letting them expand territory, and thus winning the game without actually having to do any of the heavy lifting.  Plus there was the whole sending out an army of ants to kill a caterpillar, or even better, the dastardly spider!

TOP 10, since everyone loves a list!

I had my first suggestion, and it was a great one:  Top 10 lists!

I thought I’d start with a bit of a standard, see how it works for me, so today we have:

My 

 TOP TEN FAVORITE 

Disney animated movies!

A quick note, I haven’t seen Tangled yet, so that one wasn’t taken into account.

10 

Beauty and the Beast

As the song says, tale as old as time.  I enjoy the stained glass pro- and epilogue, and I really enjoy singing along to all the songs, even if Beast doesn’t really do it for me, personally.  Belle basically singing the plot of the movie in the opening number really gets me, too.  As a kid, this one felt like ‘Bri’s movie’(Pajiciuos, anyone?) so I didn’t really connect with it as much as some others.

9  

101 Dalmations

Who can’t sing along to ‘Cruella DeVil’?  With 99 puppies, this movie literally could not get any cuter, especially when they are hiding out as chocolate labs.  I remember the daycare kids wearing out several copies of this tape(yes, it was watched that often), which is why it is ranked relatively low.  A person can only watch a movie so many times and still enjoy it.

8 

Hercules

Even though Disney pretty much gutted the story and wrote is as they wanted it to be, this movie is still tons of fun, I just love singing “I can go the distance!’  This one came out later in the Disney canon, I think if it had been earlier, I may have liked it more, but when it did, I was to the ‘ew, Disney’ portion of my life---luckily, this only lasted a couple of years! 

 

7  

The Little Mermaid

Another entirely sing-alongable movie.  I’m pretty sure I know every song by heart, and could whip them out at a moments notice, if need be.  Of course, we have a heroine throwing herself at a boy she doesn’t even know, but hey, that’s nothing three days can’t fix, right?  This was the beginning of the Disney renaissance, and still holds up today, even with a jagged, awkwardly placed knee.

6  

Pocahontas

The art design is fantastic, the songs are lovely, and the sidekicks are freaking adorable.  What’s not to love?(Beside creepy tree woman, scary).  I have heard many critics rail against this movie, and they bring up valid points, BUT, I like going into movies to be entertained, not to pick them apart a thousand way from Tuesday.

5  

The Princess and the Frog

One of Disney’s newer animated movies, this one is super freaking cute.  The character seem real…well, besides the whole turning into frogs thing, and you really feel for them.  You want Tiana so succeed, and are happy for her when she finally does.  Not to mention the uber-creepy villain that get sucked down to hell…maybe. 

4  

Lion King

Another sing-along favorite.   From ‘I just can’t wait to be king’ to ‘Can you feel the love tonight,’ the songs are great.  This Hamlet knockoff really tugs at the heartstrings with the on-screen parent death, the devastation wrought by Scar, and the love story between two anthropomorphic lions.  But back to that devastation…apparently, Scar is a super hero, cause he can make the rain go away.  That is crazy.

 3 

 Emperor’s New Groove

I recently discovered this movie on Disney Channel.  They traveled by map before the new muppet movie made it cool!  This is really more of a light-hearted comedy, with some dramatic elements included.  I really enjoy the sense of humor the movie has about itself, from the non-acquiescing villagers, to the over the top villain, this movie is highly under-rated, if I do say so myself.

2  

Lilo and Stitch

The art direction for this movie is fantastic.  If I am remembering correctly, they handpainted the backgrounds with watercolors, and they just outstanding through the whole movie.  Stitch is a hoot and a half, going from obnoxious space alien to beloved member of the family, and none of it seems forced.  Parent death is a normal occurance in the Disney-verse, but Lilo and Stitch really seems to handle it more realistically than most others in the ovure.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for—my number one movie!

Drum roll please…

My choice is…

1  

Aladdin

As if any of you are surprised.  This is not only my favorite Disney movie, it’s my favorite movie movie, as well.  I have a framed poster, I have three copies of it, and I can sing every song, and speak along with just about every line.  Even though the story is…slightly…predictable, the way it is told, and the character choices, especially for Jasmine, seem like things a rational, sane person would do.  Yes, they have a whirlwind romance that only occurs in movies, but she doesn’t just throw herself at him.  Especially when he comes back as Prince Ali, she is wary, but willing to give the benefit of the doubt.  Plus, Abu is adorable, the setting is tons of fun, and the cartoon that followed wasn’t the drek most movie spinoffs are.

So there you have it, my TOP TEN DISNEY MOVIES!

Did I forget a favorite?  Was something too high or too low?  Let me know in the comments!