Touches You

Sorry, this movie sucks

Let's be realistic.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Like all sports movies, this is black and white and predictable all over. Let's face it, there's no suspense in who's going to win the climatic game, regardless of whether you look up who won the real game. It's the journey that matters. In this case, the game itself had a lot more significance due to the state of America at the time, and it was emphasized to a reasonable degree. I'm sure that a lot of people who remember the real game enjoyed reliving the event and some of their own experiences during that time.Most of the movie shows the pre-olympics training and Herb Brooks' challenge of coaching twenty college hockey players to beat the worlds greatest team, Russia. There is a lot of the standard inspirational coach speeches, training scenes, and team togetherness that you find in any sports movie that doesn't double as a comedy. There are no real subplots unless you count the couple scenes where Herb has to figure out how to balance his family and the Olympic team. Herb Brooks is pretty much the only character of notable significance. He delivers on his word to not be the players' friend and doesn't stand for any slackers. The other coaches are developed but aren't especially important. The same goes for most of the players, though Jim Craig, Jack O'Callahan, and Mike Eruzione are fairly prominent. They players all look pretty much the same, especially when they're in pads and helmets, which is unfortunate because it makes it hard to keep up with conversations involving the players.The presentation of the hockey games and practices is pretty well done in terms of camera-work and the sequences included. The only exception to this for me is in the climatic game against the Soviets where every goal is done in slow motion. There doesn't seem to be much point in adding drama to a goal if you don't do it to every shot on goal. Not to say that they should have shown all forty odd shots by the U.S. team, but the slow- mo was unnecessary.The acting was pretty good considering that the actors were all chosen for their hockey ability rather than their acting ability. So the list of recognizable names on the cast list will most likely end shortly after Kurt Russell.Honestly, I hope there isn't another Olympic rivalry movie like this, because it sort of ruins the unifying spirit that the Olympics are supposed to embody. I'm not trying to negate the positive impact the U.S. victory generated. Sports have similar effects on a smaller scale all the time. But it was also a cause for some racism that was already at a fever pitch. I suspect that anyone who has fond memories of the actual event would enjoy this movie, but for anyone else, it might seem as clichéd as all the other sports movies out there. Overall Rating: 7.2/10.

The movie Miracle is much more than your typical American patriotism movie. With the stellar acting, and spirited directing, Miracle extends beyond the reach of inspirational films and into the realm of pure excellence. After watching the film, one is left with a feeling of great patriotism nationalism and belief in one's country. Kurt Russell delivers the performance of his lifetime as he portrays Herb Brooks, a hard-nosed, passionate United States national hockey coach. Russell captures the character of Herb Brooks and develops his own passion as an actor. The active pacing back and forth and fast-paced and overdramatic gum-chewing helps Russell in fully becoming the head coach of the United States hockey team. One of Russell's most memorable scenes in the film is when he delivers a speech to the team when they are experiencing some adversity. Russell displays true acting brilliance as he is able to fully grasp the fierceness and desire for greatness that Brooks displayed when actually giving the speech. Even the casual viewer will feel the effect of this speech and feel that same desire for greatness in their own life. The constant action and dramatic moments of the movie will keep anyone on the edge of their seat and begging for more. Complementing the impeccable acting by Kurt Russell and others is the determined directing of Gavin O'Connor. Mr. O'Connor makes it much more than just a sports film about an average hockey team that rises to glory. He uses the historical events of the time to show how Americans can rally behind a cause, even when times are tough. The way that O'Connor is able to portray the struggles of a young team on their Olympic journey depicts perfectly the way Americans were struggling as a country to combine as one in their Cold War pursuits against the Soviet Union. O'Connor incorporates real-life events all throughout the film. This includes the way that the film begins with a brief historical year by year review and news clips with current events of the time scattered in. The current events that are displayed in the film really help to make the viewer feel that the film is more realistic and are instrumental in conveying the common themes of patriotism and extreme nationalism. Contributing to the overall greatness of the film is the dramatic scenes involving the trials and tribulations of representing one's country on the world's grandest stage. One scene in particular that I will choose to focus on is the semifinal game against the Soviet Union. The United States had been embarrassed by this team in the past as the Soviet Union were in a class all to themselves. Being a young, inexperienced team, the US was a major underdog in this matchup. After coming together as one, UNITED team, will the Americans be able to match the Soviets in strength and speed and beat the greatest team ever assembled? My all-time favorite part of the movie is when Al Michaels coined his famous phrase, "5 seconds left in the game, do you believe in miracles?! YES!" As an avid wrestler, I often used mental preparation as a big part of my success. Before every big match that I ever had, and I mean EVERY big match, I would watch Miracle in its entirety. The feeling of great inspiration and drive for success that I got after watching this film made me feel as if I could accomplish anything I put my mind to, a feeling that is exactly what Gavin O'Connor does such a remarkable job conveying. Well done Mr. O'Connor, well done.

Perhaps Al Michaels said it best, while opening the broadcast for the Soviet and USA 1980 Olympic hockey game, "For people who don't know the difference between a blue line and a clothesline, its irrelevant." The movie Miracle is about much more than just a hockey team and its journey to the Olympic games. This is a true story of an inspirational team of twenty college kids who competed in the 1980 Olympics. The coach who brought these guys together and made them a family in such a short amount of time was Herb Brooks. He some how got the team to buy in and believe that they could stand a chance with the immortal Soviet Union at the time. This movie portrays much more than just an underdog sports story. It reveals the difficult times Americans were faced to go through and all the horrifying things that were happening with them during the cold war with Russia. Herb Brooks and his team gave Americans an opportunity to take their mind off the distractions and unite as one to watch the greatest sports moment in history. Miracle is a different underdog story in the fact that during the movie they don't focus on the other team much at all. Along with that is you don't know many of the guys on the USA team. The name of the characters and the small talk scene between the guys is just about all you get for depth of the characters. This movie is about the United States proving that Democracy is superior through a hockey game and understanding the man, Herb Brooks, who played a vital part in it. Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russell, is the main focus in the film from a character standpoint. Kurt Russell does an amazing job portraying the type of man that Herb was. Kurt was able to provide such insight to Herbs life during the movie because Herb was actually on set to help him get into character. Herb was cut from the 1960 Olympic hockey team a week before the team won the gold medal and he was going to do anything in his power to insure they won it in 1980. He showed this through out the movie by not letting his emotions get in the way. The camera work in this movie is unreal. When you watch the movie it feels like you are out their on the ice with the players. The action scenes flow really well together and are easy to follow what is going on even if you have no background in hockey. The amount of work it must of taken to get each scene perfect is insane. An interesting aspect about Miracle is that when people watch the movie it gives them an indescribable feeling. It is a story that most Americans of 35 years or older are able to recall when and where they were during the time the event happened. I was talking with my teacher one day and asked him about the movie. He said he remembers the exact place he was at and what he was doing when the game was played. Watching the movie brought him back to that moment and it gives him chills every time he watches it. It gives me chills and I didn't even live through it, but it feels like you are when watching the movie. Disney pictures went above and beyond to recreate the greatest moment in sports history and it will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

This is definitely an under-appreciated film, not a lot of talk about it. With that said, its one that stays with you. I love sports movies, especially ones about underdogs. Usually they are about 1 person, or a specific team that has made history for doing something remarkable. Miracle is more than a person, more than a team, its about the entire country.I'm proud to be an American, and usually get a bit emotional when something big happens with the entire world watching. I was 3 years old when the 1980 Olympics took place, but watching this movie, I felt like I was there. I felt the emotion of crowd, the players, and that damn amazing coach. Kurt's performance was outstanding, and one that is now in my top 15 movie performances ever. I found myself forgetting it was Kurt.With sports movies, there is always a scene where the team has to 'dig deep' during a practice or what not, you kind of expect it. With that said, the scene when he made the team run the line drills over and over and over and OVER again made me cringe, but ended up being one of my favorite of the film. It was raw, real, and refreshing.Great film about the American spirit, a guy with a dream, and a team that became...a family.