Movies While You Wait for World Cup Match

it's the world cup season. day after day, we're governed by a schedule of matches, not wanting to miss each game especially if it involved our favorite team.

what to do in between? and what would happened to the rest of us football non-fans? to get into the sporting mood, we can watch movies about football!

okay - i couldn't decide which football movie i like, simply because i don't like any. haha. so instead of movies about football, i present to you 15 of my favorite sport movies - from kick-boxing to swimming, to ice hockey, and everything else in between!

they tell their story - their love for the game, their sweat, blood and tears. some are courageous, some inspiring, and some hillarious, but all will leave you feeling good. it's all in the telling.

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the one movie i like that's closest to football is the insanely funny 'shaolin soccer'. i like stephen chow to begin with, and i think this movie deserves its international recognition for its special effects during the actors' exaggerated soccer kicks. watch this movie and find out what happens when soccer and shaolin kungfu combine!

ah, karate kid. which teen girl wasn't in love with danial larusso, the cute bullied kid turned martial arts champion, with the help of the japanese guru? all together now, "wax on...wax off...wax on...wax off.."

want to see swift, precise, effortless movement in muay thai meets kickboxing - then watch ong bak. when an idol was stolen from a village, one of them went to the city to retrieve it. therein begins the most beautifully deadly martial arts display in a movie!

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these movies showcase mr. khairul's favorite sports - swimming in 'pride', and golf in 'the legend of bagger vance'.

an unlikely coach. a misfit of troubled teens turned swimmers. together, they beat all odds which include racism, to create a success story. pride is inspired by a true story. slightly sappy and over-dramatized at times, but an inspiring movie nontheless.

the legend of bagger vance is slightly magical, if you wanna call it that. a has-been golfer got back his touch, when he meets a 'mystical' coach in the form of will smith. not my favorite, but do you know any other golf movie? (please don't mention the super boring kevin costner's 'tin cup'!)

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a movie doesn't need to be serious or sombre to be inspiring. these comedies will show you how it's done - in humor.

throw a ball to your opponent til it hits them, or avoid being hit by one - that's dodgeball. if you want to enjoy a fun, laugh-out-loud comedy (ben stiller-style) about good vs evil - small, personalized everyday-guy gym versus big, posh corporate fitness center. in the end, you know who prevails!

this is one for the kids, or the kid in you! this 1992 movie is about a drunk-driving has-been ice hockey jock sentenced to coach the 'loser' kid team, and later named the mighty ducks. kids and the reluctant coach both learned a huge lesson about believing in yourself.

nacho libre is about following your dreams, wherever it may take you, or whatever it takes. a monk, with great passion for pro wrestling, did just that. he dons a mask, creates a wrestling character, and found his true calling. hillarious, yet touching in many ways.

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an academy award nominee, an academy award winner, and a movie based on a true story.

boxing is probably one of the most featured sports in a movie. i can mention award winning movies like the legendary 'rocky', 'million dollar baby' or 'ali' - but cinderella man takes the cake. russel crowe plays james j. braddock, a down-on-his-luck boxer during the depression-era. the story of a man who fights his way to save his family from depression, and poverty. it's not just the sport that moves me, but the story behind it - the struggle, the suffering and the rise to glory.

this movie had me at hello, for sure! nominated for academy awards for best movie, jerry maguire is not about any particular sports, but more of sports management. it shows that in the sporting world - between the glamor, the fame, and the money - there's also heart. truly a feel-good movie that will make you shed a tear of joy.

husbands at war, but the baseball league must go on. what to do? enlist the women, of course! a league of their own is a retelling of the first female baseball league formed during the wwII. warm, sometimes funny, sometimes touching - a look into siblings rivalry, a choice between life as a housewife or a baseball star. also co-starring, a young madonna!

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haha, at first i wanna put 'pendekar bujang lapuk' for its silat showcase, but i think i'd rather put afdlin shauki's sumolah. the amusing sport of japanese origin seen from the eyes of a malaysian. unambitious malay man meets the challenging world of sumo - laughter, tears and life's lessons to be learned!

okay, the next one is not a movie but a very popular series showed in RTM back in the 80's. two words, people - moero attack! it follows the ups and downs of a group of pretty female volleyball players. i think every school-going girl wanted to be a volleyball player back then!

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saving the best for last - top favorites of both mr. khairul and me - two movies that the two of us can watch over and over again. absolutely recommended.

american football has never been this heart-warming. in remember the titans, two talented teams are separated by racial hatred. forced together by a no-nonsense determined coach played brilliantly by denzel washington. i get goose-bumps everytime i watch the scene where they finally came together, race and prejudice aside.

in coach carter, it's a different ball game. it's not racism that they're fighting against, but themselves. coach carter, played by samuel jackson is assigned to coach a basketball team comprise of school-near-dropouts, gansta-wanabes, and the who's who in the never-will-graduate list. the new coach set one rule - to play ball, they must attend class. in the end, these boys show that they can score both in class and on the ball court - because they believe.

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now where's the popcorn?