the legend of bagger vance

the year: 2000

the genre: drama


the cast: Will Smith (Bagger Vance); Matt Damon (Rannulph Junuh); Charlize Theron (Adele Invergordon); Bruce McGill (Walter Hagen); Joel Gretsch (Bobby Jones); J. Michael Moncrief (Hardy Greaves)


the plot: A disillusioned war veteran, Captain Rannulph Junah, reluctantly agrees to play a game of golf. He finds the game futile until his caddy, Bagger Vance, teaches him the secret of the authentic golf stroke which turns out also to be the secret to mastering any challenge and finding meaning in life.


don't miss: the beautiful score/soundtrack.


listen for: "Yep... Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing... Somethin' we was born with... Somethin' that's ours and ours alone... Somethin' that can't be taught to ya or learned... Somethin' that got to be remembered... Over time the world can, rob us of that swing... It get buried inside us under all our wouldas and couldas and shouldas... Some folk even forget what their swing was like..."


did you know: Although the film is based on fiction, both Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen were real golfers. Jones was the more famous because, among other things, he founded the US Masters tournament in Augusta.


extra bonus points: if you know who played the uncredited Narrator. (It was his last film.)


also listen for: "This is getting embarassing." "Oh no sir, this has been embarassing for quite some time."

the italian job

the year: 2003

the genre: action


the cast: Mark Wahlberg (Charlie Croker); Charlize Theron (Stella Bridger); Donald Sutherland (John Bridger); Jason Statham (Handsome Rob); Seth Green (Lyle); Mos Def (Left Ear); Edward Norton (Steve)


the plot: After pulling off a gold bullion heist from a heavily guarded palazzo in Venice, Italy, Charlie and his gang -- inside man Steve, computer genius Lyle, wheelman Handsome Rob, explosives expert Left Ear and veteran safecracker John Bridger - are double-crossed by one of the group. Enter Stella, a beautiful nerves-of-steel safecracker, who joins Charlie and his former gang when they follow the backstabber to California, where they plan to re-steal the gold by tapping into Los Angeles' traffic control system, manipulating signals and creating one of the biggest traffic jams in LA history. Now the job isn't about the payoff, it's about the payback.


don't miss: Lyle's mad motorcycle skills.


watch for: Spiderman when the explosives go off around the armored truck in L.A.


listen for: "And then he's just the media darling... He's on the cover of all the magazines, I should of been on the cover of wired magazine. You know what he said? He said he named it Napster because it was his nickname because of the nappy hair under the hat. But he-It's because I was NAPPING when he STOLE it from me. He didn't even graduate."


did you know: The principal actors in the movie did most of the stunt driving themselves. While all of the principals needed stunt driving lessons - Mos Def needed a little more work because he didn't have a driver's license at the beginning of the production. All the cast members acknowledged that Charlize Theron was easily the best driver among them.


extra bonus points: if you ALSO have the urge to shave that ugly little beard off of Steve's face.


also listen for: "James Hymen? Come on man, just once give me a cool name!"



disclaimer: there is some brief violence and language.