The Magnificent Seven: Then and Now

The Magnificent Seven in 1960.

Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen lead the Seven in 1960

The Magnificent Seven in 2016.  There is more variety in the appearance of the men.  Their personalities are quite individual, too.

A refreshing mix of skin tone in 2016

I haven’t seen the original, or even the Japanese movie that started it all, Seven Samurai (1954).

All three movies are about seven diverse men who band together to save a town against bad guys.  A lot of bad guys.  So many that the men need to be creative in how they fight, and use all the different talents that each man brings.

The 2016 trailer summarizes the men’s abilities, and gives a glimpse of the action in the movie.

The movie is good at giving a back story to most of the seven men, and not just the main stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt.

The movie is bad at keeping leading lady Haley Bennett covered up.

At least her dialogue and actions are true to character, and she doesn’t become some passive love interest.

A lot of people end up dead for a PG-13 movie, but they mostly just fall down dead.  There isn’t a lot of drawn out blood and guts and screams of agony.

The Magnificent Seven reminds me of another old movie where a small group of strangers join together to defend a town from bad guys.  Maybe you’ve seen Silverado (1985 PG-13).

What other movies have the good guys outnumbered?

Football Movies for Super Bowl Week

We are not football fans at our house.  We go to all the high school home football games because it’s where my girls attend, and because our school wins.  Our girls go to Super Bowl parties with the church youth group every year, and if we aren’t going to a party, my husband and I will watch the game at home.  Because it’s the Super Bowl, and as Americans, it’s a requirement!

Here are some football movies to watch when the Big Game isn’t on:

Timeline (2012)  My favorite Super Bowl commercial from last year is actually a brilliant short film!  Did you catch that the yard line numbers are actually years?  Do you see when the Rams get their helmet design?

Remember the Titans (2000) The true story of the 1971 integration of a Virginia high school football team.  When Coach Boone (Denzel Washington) takes the team at night to one site of the Battle of Gettysburg and gives them a speech, it gives me chills – powerful stuff!

The Blind Side (2009)  True story of an African-American teen, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) adopted by a Caucasian family headed by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock).  Is it only because of his football abilities, or do they really care about him?  And why does the costume designer make Sandra Bullock wear such tight clothing?  Good movie!

Brian’s Song (1971) Real life 1960’s Chicago Bears players Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) become friends, even though they are different races, and even though **spoiler alert** one gets cancer.  I read the book first, and cried, then watched the movie and wasn’t as moved.

The Game Plan (2007)  Dwayne Johnson is a quarterback loving his bachelor life when a little girl (Madison Pettis) “adopts” him.  Cute movie!  Lots of Elvis references, with The Rock even singing, ”Are You Lonesome Tonight?”

What are your favorite football movies?