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Monday Movie Meme - Game On!
Monday, November 18, 2013 at 7:51PM 
Many people play the lottery for pure joy; Casinos in places such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City thrive on the temporary thrills that gambling brings to those who hope to hit the jackpot. We must not forget, however, that taking chances is not always about fun and games – especially for men and women who bet big on themselves while competing to win some type of prize.
It’s a funny thing about contests; you never know how much is at stake for participants who enter while at some type of crossroads or dire circumstance in their life. For some, winning means the difference between living and dying, whether they gain respect or lose prestige, whether they receive a second chance or glimmer of hope. That is the basis for of this week’s Monday Movie Meme theme: Game On!
Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring people who have a lot on the line, yet enter a contest that could have a huge bearing on their future circumstances. Here are my selections for this week’s Game On! theme.
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Members of a catholic school choir put all of their energies and faith into a statewide singing competition in this comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg, Lauren Hill and Kathy Najimy.
Finding Forrester
The dude in this drama starring Sean Connery, Rob Brown and Anna Paquin, found himself involved in some type of alleged plagiarism scandal…I think…while participating in a writing contest.
Cinderella Man
A struggling and disabled fighter enters a dangerous boxing match in an attempt to earn enough to feed and care for his family in this biopic starring Russell Crowe.
Akeelah and the Bee
A young girl butts heads with her mother, peers and mentor while prepping for Regional and National spelling competitions.
The Karate Kid
Didn’t Jaden Smith’s character compete in some type of vicious martial arts tournament in this 2010 remake also starring Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson? I’ve only watched the movie once and am a little fuzzy on most of the scenes from that movie – except for the fact that the boy had an inflated ego and it took a while for him to learn the importance of something so simple as hanging his own jacket up and whatnot.
All about the Benjamins
A wanted crook wins the lottery and then joins a bounty hunter in a wild chase for diamond smugglers, in this comedy starring Mike Epps, Ice Cube and Eva Mendes.
What movies have YOU seen featuring people entering contests?
Reader Comments (4)
Akelah and the Bee is a good one Nicole. Would the Oceans 13 movies count? Lots of gaming in those ones. Plus, there's "Ender's Game."
This makes me thing of the Bring it On franchise movies.
You have some great movies listed there. Might I add to the list:
Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels: Guys are in debt to the mob. One of Guy Richie's best films!
Killing Them Softly: Ray Liotta thinks he can skim from the mob (hey, that's two mob movies in a row here)
Cincinnati Kid: Local hotshot gambler wants to prove he's the best (just saw this on cable TV and couldn't turn away)
Maurice,
Thanks...you know it's funny I've only seen "Akeelah and the Bee" once after browsing TV channels to find something to watch. Had it not been for the events of that particular day, the movie might still be among the many titles I still have yet to see. Yes I count your "Ocean's Thirteen" pick as a fitting choice, solely based on the guy who reviews the hotel in that movie and has a bad experience during his stay; he plays the slots and I would liken that game of chance as being similar to Mike Epps' character playing the lottery in "All About the Benjamins." What is "Ender's Game?" I'm not sure if I've ever heard of that movie; the title makes me hope it's a suspense thriller of sorts, lol. Thanks for playing along this week :)
Angela,
OMG you've taken me back to the days of my favorite guilty pleasure teen flicks! Great (and totally unexpected) selection for this week's 'Game On' theme. I've only watched the first one....multiple times I might add, lol, and I love me some cheerleading competitions. You just let me in one something new, as I only thought there was just a sequel. I can't believe they stretched the franchise out so long. That's Hollywood for ya, I guess. Now you have me wanting to watch the second one, just out of curiosity. Cheers to you for picking a comedic goodie!
Herman,
Thanks a lot; I figured if anything, you would at least like "Cinderella Man." I'm excited about your mob theme...partly because there's rarely a dull moment in films about the mob and partly because I haven't watched any of your three picks for this week's 'Game On' theme. I'm leaning toward "Killing Me Softly" because it seems that a mob movie (or one about some kind of corruption of sorts) just isn't a mob movie without Ray Liotta somewhere in the cast. I'm also leaning toward "Cincinnati Kid" because the premise combined with the title makes the movie sound like an underdog story. Gotta love those! Thanks for joining in on my Monday Movie madness!