That was an excellent one.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

I was discussing this movie just last night with a friend of my Grandma. She said she saw in theaters and fell asleep through most of the movie. Her date said it was really good and Grandma joked "Which part?" and laughed. There are a few slow parts, hence my 8, but overall I think it's decent. But it definitely was not really earning of Best Picture.(I told my Grandma's friend that it won and she could not believe it.) Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated and that's much better-and more iconic. Plus, Mommie Dearest won the Razzie("Worst Picture") and I actually think that's the year's best movie.In short, it's worth seeing-but it's not the "Best Picture."

After all these years the opening sequence of "Chariots of fire" is still one of the most memorable in the history of movies. A celebration of life and youth, the "simple" pleasure of being alive and running barefoot on the beach and the wonderful soundtrack enhancing the moment.The plot is about Abrahams and Liddell, two very different English athletes who competed in the 1924 Paris Olympic games.Abrahams is a Jew and a bit of a whiner. Allegedly "discriminated" because of his religion, Abrahams is rich, studying at one of the most exclusive universities of the country and on the verge of Olympic immortality. Hardly heavy burdens to bear. Liddell is a Scottish missionary, born in China and ready to go back but not before competing in Paris.Not being into sports, I found the film well-made, but slightly too long. Abrahams love story fills uselessly some screen time. It could have been avoided, without damaging the main plot in any way.Also, for non-English audience, the patriotic pride is a tad overbearing. It is a fine movie, but the big winner is the music, hardly ever used to best effect. You can forget the whole story and you will still remember the boys dressed in white running in slow motion on the beach.

The name of this film Chariots of Fire is also a line from a famous poem / hymn called Jerusalem. It is treated as a national anthem amongst many in England. This film taps into nationalistic pride of winning in sport while conveying a subtle message that the ethics of the Olympic Games are lost in the pursuit of success.Two sportsmen from a bygone era Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson)are rivals for the gold medal sprint at the Paris Olympic Games. Both are incredibly talented but very different personalities even though they are both outsiders in the society they live in. Abrahams is the son of a migrant Jew who is studying Law at Cambridge and feels out of place amongst the establishment he so detests, while Liddell is also a foreigner in his own land as he was born the son of a missionary in China and he is now back in Scotland but his religious views are seen as a bit odd.This film is based on real life people and an extraordinary situation which occurred in 1924. These guys ran in a different era when amateurism was the right way to compete, and Christian values were still relevant to a lot of people. Abrahams is unashamed ambitious and just wants to be the best and win for himself and his country and university. Liddell is also ambitious, but his religious activities with the missionary interferes with his goals, but he is convinced by his father that running in the name of God is honourable.There is an exploration of what motivates athletes, how to take defeat and how to run a straight race which is quite interesting. There also some other athletes in the group - Nigel Havers plays Lord Linsey who is competing in the hurdles. He brings another angle to the film as a true sportsman who just loves taking part. He plays a crucial role near the end of the film.There are good performances from the lead actors, and I thought the sporting action looked realistic while keeping the period details very well. The Vangelis music score is another major reason to like this film. There are some cheesy moments of athletes back slapping each other and pompous speeches about God King and Country, but on the whole this is an interesting movie - 8/10

Continuing my streak of past Best Picture winners, I took the opportunity to watch (for the first time) CHARIOTS OF FIRE. While it's about as unchallenging and "white bread" as you can get for this type of fare, it still remains an inspirational sports drama and character study that explores the reasons behind wanting to achieve greatness. The two points of comparison are Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), the former a British Jew and the latter a Scottish Christian. Both have intensely personal reasons for wanting to win the gold in the 1924 Olympics. Harold is in it for personal achievement as a way to transcend the anti-Semitism he experiences, while Eric runs for God. Although the film sets them up as rivals, they only ever compete against each other once, and not in the Olympics (they are in separate events). This actually works in the film's favor, though, as this allows the audience to root for the success of both. It goes without saying that the acting is all top-notch, and the cast contains a who's-who of famous British actors. Aside from the two leads, you have John Gielgud and Ian Holm in supporting roles as the Master of Trinity and Harold's coach, respectively. Then there's the iconic theme by Vangelis which is certain to inspire you. Even if this film isn't too well remembered, the theme music is, and it's one of the most stirring ever composed. There is also the excellent use of slow motion during the racing scenes. Although it's been parodied and spoofed dozens of times since, here it remains free of irony and is a brilliant way to showcase the physical form of the competitors. The only thing I can think of that really dampens the experience is how simplistic and "safe" the film is. It's not really a surprise that the Academy chose it as the Best Picture for its year, but it could have explored its themes of patriotism and spirituality with a little more depth. The story itself was also very predictable (as sports dramas often are) and its resolution a foregone conclusion. Still, what really makes the film worth watching is what happens in between, the journey to the Olympics that its two leads embark upon. Overall, it's not necessarily the best sports movie I've ever seen (nor the most memorable), but it's a wholesome and endearing film that should appeal to all ages.