February 5, 2025 • 41 mins
Gary Tanguay Fills In On NightSide with Dan Rea
Torey Champagne, director and producer, joined Gary to discuss the best films about football. Torey directed the recent film, “Rhythm Masters: A Mickey Hart Experience” and knows a thing or two about sports media!
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!
Torey Champagne, director and producer, joined Gary to discuss the best films about football. Torey directed the recent film, “Rhythm Masters: A Mickey Hart Experience” and knows a thing or two about sports media!
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's night with Dan Ray. I'm doing you bes Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hi Dan, Thank you much, Buddy special thanks to cousin
Todd for coming on and talking about how we shop,
how we get our stuff. And he's a good guy,
really good guy. Check out ready his dispensaries. You can
check them out online. R E. D. I moving right
(00:27):
along now to Tory Champagne, one of the great filmmakers
and friend of Gary, joining us here from ESPN, as
we talk about football movies. Tori, how's it going, Buddy?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
How you doing? Good man? Good man? Good good to
talk to you. Thanks for having me on listen.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
You know, I was just thinking, does football make the
best sports movie?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
That's tough, right, because there's some classics out there. There's
major like when I think of sports movies top of mind,
I think of some of the comedic ones really honestly,
like Major League again kind of my my demographic growing up,
the water boy. Uh. There's there's some fun ones out there,
but there's also the classics like bullde arm out there.
(01:12):
But yeah, I think football is just kind of it
lends itself to the drama in ways that does. It's
been done a lot, you know, and and and some
some good and some not so great. You know.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It's interesting though, if you take a look at a
baseball movie versus a football movie. The baseball movie is
very dramatic. It's very regal. I mean, I one of
them in the natural when he hits the home run
and the lights explode and he bleeds in the side,
I want to puke. I mean, it's just it's so
(01:42):
over the freaking top. I'm like, are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
This is cinematic, Gary, it's cinematic.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Oh oh, you and your camera, you and your little
cameras and your lights. I'm like, oh my god, can
we all right? Can we do this? Can we go
over the top anymore with this? But with football movies,
you don't really have that. The football movies is and
I think it just relates to the sport obviously.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I think you're yeah. No, I think you're right. I
think I think the idea of of of the dynamic
of football in general, the way that the team is constructed.
It is a large group of men, fifty two men
in the sport, and I think in football there's so
much action, there's so many opportunities for the action as well.
It's exciting to watch. It's deciding the sequence. And if
(02:31):
you watch the NFL on you know, again not to
quote the film name, but any given Sunday, there is
always something happening that can feel exciting or a big play.
So it lends itself to that. And the characters are diverse.
On a football team, you have star quarterback, you have
the lineman, you have the speedy receiver. You just there's
some there's some archetypes that just kind of exist naturally
(02:52):
that create good dynamics.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I think, you know, I think the football movie is
fast and the furious, and the baseball movie is Driving
This Daisy.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
I just think you don't like baseball maybe that No.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
No, no, I do. I loved I love Driving Miss Daisy.
Are you kidding me. It's a great movie. No, I
just think they're no, no, no, no, no. I mean, but
then you do have the comedic parts, I mean, the
major leagues and the bull Durams, if you will. But
I mean it's baseball, right, you know, and Feel the Dreams,
which I've always argued, isn't really a baseball movie. It's
(03:26):
a movie about Korn.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, I'll just say this. I think I think the
great thing about sports films, you know, from my perspective,
is there's the opportunity to tell some true stories. There's
opportunities to kind of use sports as a backdrop to
tell a character driven piece, and it can be either
comedic or dramatic. So it kind of you know, sports
(03:49):
in and of itself, it's character driven as much as
it's team driven, as much as it's a league driven
or the sport itself and the depth of it. So,
you know, I'm a big fan of sports films for
that reason because you can kind of go anywhere with it.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Well, let's talk. Let's take a look at your list,
and we're going to start with number five, and I'm
also gonna throw some ideas in here, all right, Number five,
which I have to tell you, I did not want
to watch this movie. I really didn't. I didn't want
(04:22):
to watch the movie. Hey what's this's? Dennis Larry's in it.
That's the reason to watch it. We like that, And
I was like, how are they going to pull this off?
I'm not so sure? And then I watched it and
it was great. And number five on Tory Champagne's list
for football movies is Draft Day. Why is that movie
so good.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
So here's the thing, just to preface this for your audience,
these are my five personal picks. I'm just taking the
approach here at Super Bowl Week. Five great football movies.
You know, Look, there's the Rudies, there's the Remember of
the Titans, is Jerry Maguire. Those are not on my list.
They're all fantastic. Draft Day to me was really interesting,
(05:03):
and the reason why is it's a ridiculous premise when
you get to the character in and of itself. Kevin
Costner plays Sonny Weaver Junior, the GM of the Cleveland Browns.
It's the entire premise of the film is set in
a single day, being the draft day of the twenty
fourteen NFL Draft, and it's him going through the emotional
(05:25):
phases of losing his father, finding out the research assistant
or whoever the character is on his team that works
for the team, as is also his girlfriend. She gets pregnant.
You find out she's pregnant through the course of the day.
But really why I love the film was because it
was fun and it took a look at something that
people have talked about in the NFL for years, what
(05:46):
it's like to be in that war room or what
it's like to be at the helm of an NFL
team and the decisions that you have to make with
the pressure of an owner, the pressure of the fans.
And then additionally, if you were in that position to
get the number one quarterback, which he is in the film,
to make a serious trade that he later regrets and
tries to rectify. And of course Kevin Costner always wins
(06:09):
the day in his film. But that that I just
found it interesting that a the film was made because
it was written a long time before by two writers
from New York. And then additionally, the biggest thing for me,
again kind of on the on the film side of it,
was that it was directed by Ivan Rightman, who you
know directed Ghostbusters and was very famous for a lot
(06:31):
of kind of comedies. And just the idea that Ivan
Rerightman would direct and helm ANFL based film with Kevin
Costner as a star. It's kind of a guilty pleasure.
Also fun fact it was originally supposed to be The Bills,
but they switched it to Cleveland for production costs. Also
fitting because yeah, because because Cleveland had better production costs,
(06:55):
so they moved. They moved the film to Cleveland and
worked with the NFL to change it so the and
ironically that was the year that the Browns found themselves
drafting Johnny Manziel. So there was this interesting crossover at
the actual draft where I think Chris Breman was quoted
during the actual draft. This is better than the movie.
So as a sports fan and someone who's in that world,
(07:17):
when that film came out, it was just kind of
a fascinating, like, I can't believe this film is real.
It stars Kevin Costner, it's ludicrous of a premise, and
it's just super fun to watch. You know.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
The only thing that Costor didn't suck me into was
water World, and I don't know if that was his fault,
but the guy is amazing. He sucks me in. It
doesn't matter if it's Yellowstone or it works. And I
did sit next to him during All Star Week. I
have to tell you that story.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I probably don't. Yeah, I think he did.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I think he had a million times. Yes, we were
seeing Rent. Missus Tanguay and I were seeing Rent, and
Kevin Costner and his daughter, who was going to school
here at the time, came next to us. That's back
when I was somebody, Tory and Joe Kohey, what got
me the tickets? So I was sent to row best
seats in the house watching Rent and Kemic Costa comes
(08:11):
and sits right next to me, and all my wife
said to me through the whole show was, oh my god,
he's so good looking. Oh my god, he's so good looking.
Through the whole show. It's like I wasn't even there.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I wasn't. That's the power of Costner. You're not going
to win that battle.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
You're not going to win that battle. Draft Day is
number five on Tory's list football movies you need to watch.
We will continue the conversation right after this on wbz's
night Side.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Now back to Dan ray Mine from the Window World
night Sight Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Radio, Gary Tankrey for danton I Toy Champaigne joining us
from the ESPN. ESPN Films did a great does a
phenomenal job as a director and a producer with the
ESPN and we had them on earlier with the Grateful
Dead movie. If you haven't checked that out, check that
out on ESPN. What was the name of that again?
(09:07):
I just called it the Grateful Dead movie. Let's get
the name.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Right, We're the Masters ay Part Experience. Oh no, no,
it's all good. You came to the premiere. It's okay, Sorry,
you got it.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I don't remember what I had for lunch. Come on,
give you here on your list of football movies, I
found this interesting. Listen. It's a terrific story, but I
think it's a bit of a dark horse in the
top five. We are Marshall? How come?
Speaker 3 (09:35):
So we are Marshall? You know? Based on the true
story of the nineteen seventy tragedy of the Southern Airlines
crash where Marshall University's football team was lost tragically the
thundering Herd. Seventy five people died, but interested thingly and
kind of sad, Red Dawson from the staff survived and
(09:57):
in reality they go on to hire jack Al, who
was played by Matthew McConaughey in the film. Red Dawson's
played by Matthew Fox of Lost Fame, and it's the
story of how Marshall had to rebuild their program and
kind of rebuild hope in the community. Also, just to note,
you know, Captain America Anthony Mackie plays Nate ruffin Who's
(10:20):
you Know? Kind of the inspirational. Yeah, it was kind
of his breakout role, so I always found that interesting
for him. I'm a McConaughey fan. I love him. I
think he's great. But the reason why I really loved
the film is to your earlier point about, you know,
like kind of cinema, I always felt We Are Marshall
(10:40):
was a very cinematic film, and the approach to the
film was the story was, you know, well known, and
I thought they did a really good job with the storytelling.
Interestingly enough, it was directed by McK gee whose real
name is Joseph McGuinty. And for those that don't know
who McGee is, he got his start in music videos
(11:00):
and he was widely revered in the early two thousands,
and he got his big break in feature film when
Drew Barrymore approached him after seeing his music videos to
direct Charlie's Angels Full Throttle. So he was more of
like this highly stylized action, high speed chase kind of
a guy in theory. So when he took on the
(11:23):
project to see a director like that kind of take
this very serious true story and be able to kind
of be a motive and very cinematic and paste really well.
That's why it's on my list because I think it's
just one of I think it's a slightly underrated sports film,
maybe because it's Marshall University and it's kind of a tragedy,
but I just think it's an incredibly well directed sports
(11:46):
film from start to finish.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
There's nothing better than McConaughey with sitting at the table
in a Wolf Wall Street ponting his chest.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Oh. I mean, the memes are endless, right.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
And he made that up. He made that up on
the side, he made that up. He just kind of
won it with that and just threw it and it
was phenomenal. But anyways, I love McConaughey too. I mean,
I love him too, and it's a terrific movie. It
probably not publicized enough in my opinion.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah, I think. And again McConaughey, I think, you know,
people have he's kind of a divisive person as far
as like some people love him and some people can't
stand him. But in the film, I thought he played
that enthusiastic. His enthusiasm for life kind of comes across
in the characters, so it kind of feels, it feels natural,
it feels authentic.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Now at number three. Is perhaps my favorite sports movie
because I've had a crush on Sandra bulla forever. And
did you know that Julia Roberts turned down this part?
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I did not know that in the blind Side it
was offered to Julia Roberts. And generally when you say, oh, well,
I mean the right person got it. Bullock was great.
Either one would have been great. I mean, I think
I'm a huge Central Bullock fan, and I think she's
a better actress or actor than people give a credit for.
(13:16):
And crash, she was great. And I think Roberts would
have killed in this movie too. Either one.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You know, yeah, I don't disagree. I think I think
they kind of both can can play both ends of
the spectrum of kind of they have good timing both comedically,
dramatically and everything else. But I mean, Sandra Bullock kind
of nail's the performance to the point that you know,
she won the Oscar for Best Actress. But you know,
(13:45):
I think again, it's a film that is more kind
of a big Hollywood production, not very different from We
Are Marshall, that had more of a cinematic indie feel.
The blind Side is a big Hollywood production that has
a lot of heart, and it has a lot of
like really in your face writing that works really well.
(14:06):
It's well scripted, it goes through the story of Michael
or it's also again a true story. You know, it's
been called into question and some controversy over it in
the last couple of years about this procession, which is sad,
But the film itself is you know, it is definitely
a film you can watch with your whole family. And again,
(14:26):
this is a sports film that probably, like I said earlier,
is more about people in humanity and kind of trying
to do the right thing in life by helping other
people and seeing success and something. So yeah, it's a
tear jerkers. It's like an instant classic in my mind.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Well, and of course there's some very unrealistic moments in
there that happen. You know, she happens to be carrying
a gun, she goes into certain areas, and but those
are the reasons we watch movies, is because we want
unrealistic moments to become real or at least in our mind.
But ye, Michael Laure's issue was he did not like
how his character was portrayed. And I see that because
(15:07):
his character in the movie the film was uneducated, was reserved,
was very quiet, and from what I understand or felt,
and I've never met him, he was a little more outgoing.
There was a little more to him. And I don't
understand why the writers did that. I mean you could.
(15:29):
I mean, Michael Lewis I think wrote the book. But
for the screenwriters, you still could have made Michael Orr
Michael Orr. I mean you didn't have to create this
character that he was so downtrodden. To me, that was
my only thing when I when I I go, why
did they have to change it? I still think it
would have been great?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Ye. So when when when those articles started to come
out and Michael Orr was kind of questioning it years
later and kind of expressed his feelings and again around
the whole circumstance with with the with the two y family,
you know it is it's like one of those things
that happens in Hollywood, though, Gary, like and you know this,
Like you get in a writer's room, you start to
(16:10):
change things, you start to embellish, and you take those
you take those liberties, and if it starts to work,
they kind of tend to go for it. I agree
with you, though, I don't think they needed to do
that to the character, maybe as extensively as they did,
because I think that that's kind of an injustice to
to Michael.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
The story was still there though, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
All of it's still there. Yeah, exactly, exactly, Yep, I
totally agree.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Yeah, yeah, it's still It's still a great movie. I
still love to watch it. And then your number two.
I'm not big on any given Sunday. I don't like
al Pacino's wardrobe as the coach. The speech is legendary,
though the speech is great. The speech is great.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
The thing so Oliver Zone right as a director doing
his Oliver Stone gritty storytelling. I think that it's number
two on my list because for a number of reasons. One,
you have al Pacino in the speech and everything else
and anybody that's ever seen the movie. But again, it
kind of tells this interesting time at the NFL that's
(17:18):
not talked about very often, kind of the underbelly, the money,
all the decisions that ever being made behind the scenes.
But it's also kind of I love it because it
was kind of a classic story of the starting quarterback
goes down and the young upstart gets his chance. It's
very Tom Brady esque. But the thing I love about
it was the choices that they made that they kind
of went with the Michael Vick type of character in
(17:41):
the Willie Beaman character played by Jamie Fox. So at
the time, it was just it was really really it
was a fresh take on the NFL the quarterback position.
It was highly stylized in Oliver Stone's you know, approach
to it. And again it's kind of fun and kind
(18:02):
of quotable, and there's about a million ridiculous scenes that
are so over the top that it's just kind of hard.
It's kind of an undeniable film. I agree with you,
you know, if we were doing this and if the
category had to be different, like I was really like
voting on this, I don't know if it'd be at
number two, But as a guilty pleasure, it's definitely it's
high on my list.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Well, he's speeching. Pacino's speech is phenomenal. It's just so
well written. It's on the nose, it's it's great. The
rest and I'm a big al guy.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Who do you think? Who do you think Al Pacino?
I don't know, but I'm curious to know who you
think al Pacino was inspired by.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
It feels like he's just doing al pacin.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
You know what when he shows up in the black outfit,
I mean, is he Carlito? Did he just come out
of Carlito's way and he comes down he's I'm going
to coach a football team, you know. I mean I
couldn't put it.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
You know, Parcells, no, I mean Belichick certainly, not Don Shula, no,
Tom Landry, no, Jimmy Johnson, No, I don't. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
He was like mafioso, Joe Paterno, I don't. I don't
know what it was, but I mean it was weird.
I mean weird.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
He looked like a nightclub owner instead of a football coach.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah yeah, but but but again, it just kind of
played into the whole, you know, uh, exaggerated surrealism that
they created in that film. The only thing I didn't
love about the film that they never got over the
hump on was clearing the actual NFL team. So it's
all made up teams, But you know, what, are you
gonna do?
Speaker 2 (19:42):
That stuff never bothers me. I mean to some degree
when I see the real name of the team, like
draft day. Obviously they made a deal with the NFL.
I become worried about censorship. You know, you got the
if you got the league and you pay for the
money and you got their name, you know you got
to give up on certain things. Yes, absolutely, you know
(20:04):
that doesn't that doesn't really bother me in that regard.
Number one is coming up, but pull a casey case,
let's go to an eighteen forty extra. We'll do number
one after this break. Last Boy Scout, what do you
think of that movie? Or did you see it?
Speaker 3 (20:21):
Oh? I saw it. I mean that's one of the speaking.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Of ridiculous scenes.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Horse the horse is pulling a gun on a football field.
They talk about Hollywood liberties. The Last Boy Scout the
top of the list.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Oh my god. And you know, you know when Shelley
opens the the briefcase, it's going to blow up. I
mean it's uh but the horse on the field with
a gun, That's what I was like. I have seen
it all, baby, I have seen it all. Toy's number
one football film, and I think everybody knows what it
(20:57):
is that's coming up next on WBC.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Night Side with Dan ray On WBZ, Boston's news.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Radio, Gary Tankway for Dan tonight. Don't worry, He's back
tomorrow night. Okay, the adults will be in the building
tomorrow night. Josh Kraft Canada from Mayor running against Michelle
Woo is going to be joining Dan tomorrow night on
Night Side at nine pm. Now, if you don't catch
it live, you know you can check it out easing
(21:28):
on the iHeartRadio app. It'll be on demand, folks, Dan
Ray Nightside. Tory Champagne is our guest right now we're
talking about football movies. His top five. I have some
thoughts coming up here, So Tory, without further ado, the
number one Tory Champagne football movie.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Is it has to be Friday Night Lights with unequivocally
Friday Night Lights for me is the film. And I'll
tell you why real quick, but I want to hear
what you're thinking. I think the film redefined how you
Can app which is a sports movie again, a true
story based on the book directed by Pete Berg. Kind
(22:08):
of broke Pete Burg out into the atmosphere as a director,
and he's gone on to dominate Hollywood and has done
amazing things throughout his career. But I think taking a
high school story is kind of one of those things
where you know you're really telling a line. You could
really this film could have easily felt like Varsity Blues
(22:30):
but at the Helm with Pete Burg at the Helm
and Billy Bob Thornton and playing the head coach, it
just kind of redefined like the cinematic approach to sports
movies in my mind. But I know, I'm.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Curiously it's the best sports movie ever.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
To me.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I put it just ahead of Hoosiers.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, exactly, Yeah, thats sports movie ever.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Because of what you said, and I also thought out
of all the sports movies we've talked about, and you know, look,
the football scenes in any given Sunday not very good.
Last Boy Scout forget it. You know, we've just seen
some even Jerry McGuire, I mean, Jerry McGuire is really
(23:14):
not a sports movie. I will make that argument. The
football scenes with Rob Tidwell catching the ball in the
end zone, it looked like they laid down some green
turf in the corner of a studio. How about this
in the corner of a studio in an office park
in Burlington, mass It's inside joke and shot the end
(23:35):
zone there. I mean, it's the football scenes in Jerry
Maguire are terrible, which takes it. I think it's a
great movie. I think it's a perfect script. But as
far as being a football movie, no, not a chance.
Friday Night Lights is perfect, right down to the end.
The way it's shot, the way it's written, the way
(23:55):
it's choreographed football wise, the way it's choreographed is it
is bart It is phenomenal. I put Titans right behind it.
At the end of the movie, when he doesn't score,
that's the key toy, and the father comes down and
he hugs the kid. Every other spot. I remember how
many executives in Hollywood said, no, the guy's gonna score.
(24:18):
He's got to score. He's gotta score, regardless of what
happened in the book. The fact that he doesn't score
and it ends on the one yard nine makes it
the best sports movie ever.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
I think to your point, the reality that they approached
everything in the film, they didn't they. I mean, of
course it's stylized. I mean again, it's a Hollywood production,
but the whole thing, to your point, the storytelling is fantastic,
The lead up is fantastic. It's heartbreaking at times. It
is again looking at you know, a team of young
(24:51):
men in their senior year trying to win the state
title in Texas and they come up short, and they
didn't have a chance to begin with. There is the truth, right,
But they got there and they were they were on
the verge. I think the other thing that for me
from a film perspective is the film also made a
really interesting choice with the score because the majority of
(25:12):
the score was done by a band from Midland, Texas
of all places, which is a rival of Fermian called
Explosions in the Sky, and they were a post rock
instrumental band, so a bunch of guys noodling on delay guitars,
very cinematic and everything else. But at the time, those
types of bands were not featured, or that style of
(25:33):
music wasn't featured in films. Since that happened, since that film,
you cannot watch a single sports kind of anything without
hearing that tone in that style of music being used
to heighten things dramatically. So again credit to Pete Burg.
Not only did he do a great job with directing
the film, but he also kind of unintentionally set the
(25:56):
tone for the next twenty years of how people think
dramatic football should sound, and it's just a little banned
out of Texas. So I always found that very fascinating
as well.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
And also Tom, I mean, you know, Billy Bob Thornton
as the coach was phenomenal. Kyle Chandler taking over in
the television series was great as well, and he admitted
he couldn't barely even throw a football.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
I mean, but it also spawned spawned an entire series
that's been incredibly successful, in credible.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I mean, Kyle Chandler as the coach. It's very hard
to follow the footsteps of Billy Bob Thornton. We've seen
it time and time them again, I mean, even a
league of their own they did. They tried to do
a series, right and after this successful sports movie, they'll
try to do a series. It never works. It never works.
This is the exception. Even Ball four, which was a
(26:50):
movie in a book, they tried to make it anyone a
TV series. It bombed. This this is the exception, the
rare exception. I think it's the best piece of sports
cinema period. And the television series also does not disappoint
at all at all. Some of my thoughts. I love
Remember the Titans. If it's on television, I have to
(27:12):
watch it. My only problem with it is the dialogue
gets a little cheeky at the end when the two
coaches go back and forth and start talking to each
other and they give each other compliments. I'm like, I
don't need that. I didn't need that. But the backup
quarterback from California phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
But yeah, I mean Titans is you know, Denzel at
his finest. You know, there's there's that is a that
is a that is a nearly perfect movie. It was
hard to leave it off my list because it's it's
so good. But I hear you, I hear it's but
great film.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Phenomenal film. Actually, we have a caller. Let's go to
Kennon Westport who maybe wants to chime in on this
and coming up in a few minutes to he's going
to talk about some other great stuff that he's working on.
Ken you're on a double busy with Toy Champagne.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
How are you doing tonight?
Speaker 2 (28:04):
What's that buddy?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Maybe not much. I haven't heard anybody mention The Replacements
yet tonight. I mean, that was a classic The Replacements?
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Was it was it really a classic? I mean, I wouldn't,
come on. I mean they had exotic dancers as their
as their cheerleaders.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
I mean, come on, they had so many good moments
in that film.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
I mean, I.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Don't know, Kenny Man, I think you got to I
would doesn't cut it from me. Did you ever see
the replacements? Tori?
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Yeah, yeah, Kean. I love Keanu Reeves, so I don't
want to criticize the film, but them's not good. Uh,
the you know, the Matrixes was maybe better.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Speed Go with Speed Tech speech, but the what to me?
Like Sandler, we did Longest Yard, which Tracy Morgan was
the best part of that.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Yeah, I mean Sandler's done. You know, Sandler's actually had
a pretty good run of sports films on both ends
of the spectrum too, right, Like he had Uh, he
had The Longest, the remake of The Longest Yard, The
water Boy, Happy gil Moore. But then he also did
Hustle a couple of years ago, which was pretty good. No,
I thought, I thought I thought it was good featuring
our friend Doc Rivers, that's right.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And The water Boy, though, to me, I think is
his best because it's so quotable and it's got Henry.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Yeah, it kind of revived Henry Winkle's career.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
At Bobby bouche Man. I mean, to me, the water Boy,
That's that's his best that's his best sports movie.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
It's up there. It's definitely up there.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Toy's got some stuff that he wants to tell us about,
and I think it's about the w W, which I
find fascinating. We're going to get into that coming up
next on WBC's night Side.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Okay, back here in for Dan, Gary Tangwi again on WBC.
Tory Champagne from ESPN. It's top five football movies. Friday
Night Lights any given Sunday, The Blindside, we Are, Marshall
Draft Day, all great stuff I tossed in there, remember
the Titans. So everybody's good a fair, But I mean,
(30:29):
Friday Night Lights set the bar for all sports movies.
I think took it, you know, took right. It's even
above Hoosiers for me. Now, moving on before we get
into the WWE, which I think really sounds cool. Toy
the football documentary Enigma. I haven't seen it. Your thoughts
on that.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Yeah, you know, it's it's the It's a three part
series film called Enigma about Aaron Rodgers, directed by my
friend Gotham Choper over at Religion Sports. Yeah who. I
had the pleasure of working on Man in the Arena
with Tom Brady and with Serena Williams On in the Arena.
(31:12):
So Gotham directed it, and you know, it takes a
look at Aaron Rodgers over the course of three episodes,
basically from the moment he introduced his achilles when he's
with the Jets, as he steps onto the field, uh,
and through his recovery of the injury to come back.
But it really is an interesting look at a kind
(31:33):
of controversial He's become controversial over the last couple of
years because of his you know, stance through the COVID
and immunizations. You know, it's it's kind of revealing about
how he has, you know, he's kind of stepped away
from his family and and and kind of has shied
away from being you know, in touch with his family
(31:53):
through some kind of you know, complicated things that have
happened there. I don't want to give away too much
of the film, but what I will say is you know,
it's interesting in these times that when we are making
documentaries or we're out in the world working with athletes
to see how they take shape. And I think that's
what Gotham did so well with this three part film.
(32:14):
I'll say that instead of a series, because that's how
it feels, is he was really able to spend time
with Aaron. You see him at home recovering, You see
him going on a hyauasca trip where he experiences that
and how he comes out of it. So you get
to see that side of him that people have questioned
for so long, and it's happening in real time. It's
not the end of his career. It's still in kind
(32:37):
of motion, so to capture him in that really kind
of pivotal moment of recovery. For anybody that's an NFL fan,
it's a must watch in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Is he more likable? Do you understand him more? After
watching it?
Speaker 3 (32:54):
I felt, And again, I think that's what the film
does well, is you know, object actively, you get both
sides of the story from him finally in ways that
people probably perceived. I think a lot of it's probably
not surprising to hear him talk and how he feels,
but he really actually does it. He actually sits there
(33:14):
and kind of explains his side and whether you like
him or dislike him, agree with him or disagree with him,
he's honest about who he is and how he sees
the world and perceives the world. And to be honest,
he's kind of a hippie. That's kind of how he
comes across. He comes across as a modern age hippie. That, Yeah,
he's odd and he's kind of reached the end. He's
(33:36):
kind of reached a point with his NFL career where
you know, he's kind of over the chasing certain aspects,
but he's still driven and motivated to try to go
win a Super Bowl again. So you get a lot
of different angles of him. So I don't ever like
to kind of prejudge somebody else's interpretation of a character
(33:56):
like that, But what I will say is I think
if you're curious, or if you're just an NFL fan,
or if you despise him, you will probably walk away
from this having a changed opinion about him one way
or the other.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Do you think Affleck should play Brady in a movie?
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Uh? Do I think a Flac would play Brady. It
depends on where he is in his career.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Well, that's just it. Because you know, our friends Casey
Sherman and Dave Wedge wrote the book twelve, which is
a great read, and you know that's been floating around
in development and trying to nail down, you know, who
would play Brady, and I've tried. It's I mean, look,
Ben's older, so it would have to be towards the
end of his career. But if you were going to
(34:42):
do a movie on Brady, the mistake that you cannot
make is you can't do the whole career. You can't
start at the beginning and go to the end unless
you did a ten episode. You'd have to do ten episodes.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
There was that I think the name is escaping me,
but there was a Kurt Warner you know bio that
came out a couple of years ago, and they tried
to do the whole thing. I can't remember the ANSWER's name.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
But no hem they got Sam Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
Yeah, and I think I think I think that's a Again,
that's a tough needle to thread for Kurt Warner, who
had a pretty decent, you know NFL career, Uh, trying
to stand Brady's career in two hours. Uh, that's nearly impossible.
So I agree with you.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
If I was going to pick a section of Brady's career,
I think it would have to be when he gets suspended.
You know, it's when he gets suspended for the four
games for the Flake game and they come back and
they win the Super Bowl. Yeah, that that's the season
I would pick. That's what I would do. I would
pick that.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, It's it's a hard toss up between that or
his origin story, because his origin story is pretty good too.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
So yeah, yeah, you know, maybe maybe you do a
Tom Brady one Tom Brady too, right, maybe, I mean
they got you know, Wicked one and two. Maybe we
could do that. Okay, this just sounds cool coming up
in March Stephanie's Place. Tell us all about it, Stephanie's
Places if you will.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
Yeah, yeah, no, no, really excited. ESPN Original You know
our team over here, you know, we've we've worked with
Peyton Manning and his company OMAHA for a number of
years on the Places series, So it's Peyton's Places. And
there's been a number of athletes that I have had
a series, you know, from from Poppy uh to Eli
(36:28):
PK Suban so span the world of sports in These
Places series and we were really fortunate. It was just
announced last week. Pat McAfee had Stephanie McMahon from the
w w E on his show, Uh, and Stephanie announced
that she will be doing w w e's Places, Stephanie's
(36:49):
Places coming to ESPN Original in March. So, you know,
we have a good fortune of you know, working on
that series with them, and I'm I'm really excited for
people to at the w w E. You know, I'll
say this, you know, my exposure WWE over time has
grown because of this series and the people there, and uh,
(37:09):
they're everywhere. They're on Netflix, you know, they've.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
Moved the brilliant Marday Night Raw.
Speaker 5 (37:14):
They're the number nine YouTube watch on you know, on
you know out there like the the WWE from an
entertainment storytelling uh standpoint in the world of sports entertainments.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
As they say, it's the appreciation I have for what
they do and who the what they what they bring
on a weekly basis has definitely been incredible. And Stephanie's
you know, it's it's amazing to see her out in
the world with these other superstars and kind of getting
these stories and going places with them. So, you know,
(37:47):
for people that are fans of Peyton's places, if you're
a w WE fan, andre not gonna want to miss it.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
They pulled back the curtain, admitted it was fake, which
we all really knew, and the thing grew. I mean,
as soon as it left Worldwide Wrestling and became entertainment,
it became a monster, an absolute monster, because I remember
as kids, it's fake. No it's not, it's fake. It's
no on' not. And then now all of a sudden,
everybody said, you know what, who cares? People love it.
(38:14):
It's unbelievable. The story is unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
You know, I think, I again, as always thinking from
a storytelling perspective, the fact that they can can continue
to entertain, and not only the wrestlers themselves, with the
you know, the characters that they are and the people
that they are and the entertainers that they are. It's
phenomenal to see that they've been able to kind of
(38:39):
keep building and keep growing and like I said, it's
bigger than ever.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Well, that's going to be very interesting to see. And
Tory did want to talk about the Fabulous movie School Ties,
which I co starred with Brendan Fraser Academy Award winner
Ben Affleck Academy Award winner, Matt Damon Academy Award winner,
where I was waiter number ten. So where was that
shutting wooster? Where was that shutting wooster?
Speaker 3 (39:03):
So I I as you know, I hail from Worcesterer.
That's uh, that's my hometown. There's the Miss Worcester Diner?
Is I always uh, you know, I grew up very
close to there, and I will never forget watching the film.
And that's when it clicked to me when I was
I was young, when it came out that, you know,
Matt Damon crosses the street to go into this diner,
(39:26):
I'm like, that's the Miss Worcester Diner. Also, that shot,
by the way, is totally cheated because where he starts
makes it look like he's on a street corner and
it's actually the abutment of a railroad bridge. So half
off to the director for pulling that shot off. But yeah,
you were in the film, and so.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Well, let me put it this way, you can do it.
I never made it's it's the it's the dining room
scene where uh, yes, it's the dining room scene with
Frasier and Damon and I think it's Josh Charles and
the young woman that that Fraser's dating. It's at the
(40:03):
end of a club and literally I am I am like,
wait a number ten. And I don't know why, but
they had, like the fourth assistant director tell me when
the walk and I was like, dude, I don't know
why you're telling me this because I am nowhere near
the camera shot nowhere. You can't see me. It doesn't
it doesn't exist. But I was there, baby, I was there.
(40:25):
All right, Tory, we gotta go. Great stuff, Thanks for
the update, Thanks for the countdown. We look forward to
seeing Stephanie's places WWE coming up in March, and also
just we'll keep up today and what's going on with
ESPN Films.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Absolutely good to be with you man. Let's talk you soon.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Okay, see Tory Champagne joining us from the ESPN and
Rhythm Masters if you haven't had a chance to see it,
Tory spend some time with the Grateful dead Man. That
was a trip. That is a hell of a doc.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
All right.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
Coming to next week continue our entertainment theme. Jackie Flynn
is going to join US and Jackie is in one
of the best kept secrets on television right now. And
if you're not watching this, I'm going to tell you
should watch it next on WBZ
It's night with Dan Ray. I'm doing you bes Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hi Dan, Thank you much, Buddy special thanks to cousin
Todd for coming on and talking about how we shop,
how we get our stuff. And he's a good guy,
really good guy. Check out ready his dispensaries. You can
check them out online. R E. D. I moving right
(00:27):
along now to Tory Champagne, one of the great filmmakers
and friend of Gary, joining us here from ESPN, as
we talk about football movies. Tori, how's it going, Buddy?
Speaker 3 (00:39):
How you doing? Good man? Good man? Good good to
talk to you. Thanks for having me on listen.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
You know, I was just thinking, does football make the
best sports movie?
Speaker 3 (00:51):
That's tough, right, because there's some classics out there. There's
major like when I think of sports movies top of mind,
I think of some of the comedic ones really honestly,
like Major League again kind of my my demographic growing up,
the water boy. Uh. There's there's some fun ones out there,
but there's also the classics like bullde arm out there.
(01:12):
But yeah, I think football is just kind of it
lends itself to the drama in ways that does. It's
been done a lot, you know, and and and some
some good and some not so great. You know.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It's interesting though, if you take a look at a
baseball movie versus a football movie. The baseball movie is
very dramatic. It's very regal. I mean, I one of
them in the natural when he hits the home run
and the lights explode and he bleeds in the side,
I want to puke. I mean, it's just it's so
(01:42):
over the freaking top. I'm like, are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
This is cinematic, Gary, it's cinematic.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Oh oh, you and your camera, you and your little
cameras and your lights. I'm like, oh my god, can
we all right? Can we do this? Can we go
over the top anymore with this? But with football movies,
you don't really have that. The football movies is and
I think it just relates to the sport obviously.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I think you're yeah. No, I think you're right. I
think I think the idea of of of the dynamic
of football in general, the way that the team is constructed.
It is a large group of men, fifty two men
in the sport, and I think in football there's so
much action, there's so many opportunities for the action as well.
It's exciting to watch. It's deciding the sequence. And if
(02:31):
you watch the NFL on you know, again not to
quote the film name, but any given Sunday, there is
always something happening that can feel exciting or a big play.
So it lends itself to that. And the characters are diverse.
On a football team, you have star quarterback, you have
the lineman, you have the speedy receiver. You just there's
some there's some archetypes that just kind of exist naturally
(02:52):
that create good dynamics.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I think, you know, I think the football movie is
fast and the furious, and the baseball movie is Driving
This Daisy.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
I just think you don't like baseball maybe that No.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
No, no, I do. I loved I love Driving Miss Daisy.
Are you kidding me. It's a great movie. No, I
just think they're no, no, no, no, no. I mean, but
then you do have the comedic parts, I mean, the
major leagues and the bull Durams, if you will. But
I mean it's baseball, right, you know, and Feel the Dreams,
which I've always argued, isn't really a baseball movie. It's
(03:26):
a movie about Korn.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, I'll just say this. I think I think the
great thing about sports films, you know, from my perspective,
is there's the opportunity to tell some true stories. There's
opportunities to kind of use sports as a backdrop to
tell a character driven piece, and it can be either
comedic or dramatic. So it kind of you know, sports
(03:49):
in and of itself, it's character driven as much as
it's team driven, as much as it's a league driven
or the sport itself and the depth of it. So,
you know, I'm a big fan of sports films for
that reason because you can kind of go anywhere with it.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Well, let's talk. Let's take a look at your list,
and we're going to start with number five, and I'm
also gonna throw some ideas in here, all right, Number five,
which I have to tell you, I did not want
to watch this movie. I really didn't. I didn't want
(04:22):
to watch the movie. Hey what's this's? Dennis Larry's in it.
That's the reason to watch it. We like that, And
I was like, how are they going to pull this off?
I'm not so sure? And then I watched it and
it was great. And number five on Tory Champagne's list
for football movies is Draft Day. Why is that movie
so good.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
So here's the thing, just to preface this for your audience,
these are my five personal picks. I'm just taking the
approach here at Super Bowl Week. Five great football movies.
You know, Look, there's the Rudies, there's the Remember of
the Titans, is Jerry Maguire. Those are not on my list.
They're all fantastic. Draft Day to me was really interesting,
(05:03):
and the reason why is it's a ridiculous premise when
you get to the character in and of itself. Kevin
Costner plays Sonny Weaver Junior, the GM of the Cleveland Browns.
It's the entire premise of the film is set in
a single day, being the draft day of the twenty
fourteen NFL Draft, and it's him going through the emotional
(05:25):
phases of losing his father, finding out the research assistant
or whoever the character is on his team that works
for the team, as is also his girlfriend. She gets pregnant.
You find out she's pregnant through the course of the day.
But really why I love the film was because it
was fun and it took a look at something that
people have talked about in the NFL for years, what
(05:46):
it's like to be in that war room or what
it's like to be at the helm of an NFL
team and the decisions that you have to make with
the pressure of an owner, the pressure of the fans.
And then additionally, if you were in that position to
get the number one quarterback, which he is in the film,
to make a serious trade that he later regrets and
tries to rectify. And of course Kevin Costner always wins
(06:09):
the day in his film. But that that I just
found it interesting that a the film was made because
it was written a long time before by two writers
from New York. And then additionally, the biggest thing for me,
again kind of on the on the film side of it,
was that it was directed by Ivan Rightman, who you
know directed Ghostbusters and was very famous for a lot
(06:31):
of kind of comedies. And just the idea that Ivan
Rerightman would direct and helm ANFL based film with Kevin
Costner as a star. It's kind of a guilty pleasure.
Also fun fact it was originally supposed to be The Bills,
but they switched it to Cleveland for production costs. Also
fitting because yeah, because because Cleveland had better production costs,
(06:55):
so they moved. They moved the film to Cleveland and
worked with the NFL to change it so the and
ironically that was the year that the Browns found themselves
drafting Johnny Manziel. So there was this interesting crossover at
the actual draft where I think Chris Breman was quoted
during the actual draft. This is better than the movie.
So as a sports fan and someone who's in that world,
(07:17):
when that film came out, it was just kind of
a fascinating, like, I can't believe this film is real.
It stars Kevin Costner, it's ludicrous of a premise, and
it's just super fun to watch. You know.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
The only thing that Costor didn't suck me into was
water World, and I don't know if that was his fault,
but the guy is amazing. He sucks me in. It
doesn't matter if it's Yellowstone or it works. And I
did sit next to him during All Star Week. I
have to tell you that story.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I probably don't. Yeah, I think he did.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I think he had a million times. Yes, we were
seeing Rent. Missus Tanguay and I were seeing Rent, and
Kevin Costner and his daughter, who was going to school
here at the time, came next to us. That's back
when I was somebody, Tory and Joe Kohey, what got
me the tickets? So I was sent to row best
seats in the house watching Rent and Kemic Costa comes
(08:11):
and sits right next to me, and all my wife
said to me through the whole show was, oh my god,
he's so good looking. Oh my god, he's so good looking.
Through the whole show. It's like I wasn't even there.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I wasn't. That's the power of Costner. You're not going
to win that battle.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
You're not going to win that battle. Draft Day is
number five on Tory's list football movies you need to watch.
We will continue the conversation right after this on wbz's
night Side.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Now back to Dan ray Mine from the Window World
night Sight Studios on WBZ News.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Radio, Gary Tankrey for danton I Toy Champaigne joining us
from the ESPN. ESPN Films did a great does a
phenomenal job as a director and a producer with the
ESPN and we had them on earlier with the Grateful
Dead movie. If you haven't checked that out, check that
out on ESPN. What was the name of that again?
(09:07):
I just called it the Grateful Dead movie. Let's get
the name.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Right, We're the Masters ay Part Experience. Oh no, no,
it's all good. You came to the premiere. It's okay, Sorry,
you got it.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I don't remember what I had for lunch. Come on,
give you here on your list of football movies, I
found this interesting. Listen. It's a terrific story, but I
think it's a bit of a dark horse in the
top five. We are Marshall? How come?
Speaker 3 (09:35):
So we are Marshall? You know? Based on the true
story of the nineteen seventy tragedy of the Southern Airlines
crash where Marshall University's football team was lost tragically the
thundering Herd. Seventy five people died, but interested thingly and
kind of sad, Red Dawson from the staff survived and
(09:57):
in reality they go on to hire jack Al, who
was played by Matthew McConaughey in the film. Red Dawson's
played by Matthew Fox of Lost Fame, and it's the
story of how Marshall had to rebuild their program and
kind of rebuild hope in the community. Also, just to note,
you know, Captain America Anthony Mackie plays Nate ruffin Who's
(10:20):
you Know? Kind of the inspirational. Yeah, it was kind
of his breakout role, so I always found that interesting
for him. I'm a McConaughey fan. I love him. I
think he's great. But the reason why I really loved
the film is to your earlier point about, you know,
like kind of cinema, I always felt We Are Marshall
(10:40):
was a very cinematic film, and the approach to the
film was the story was, you know, well known, and
I thought they did a really good job with the storytelling.
Interestingly enough, it was directed by McK gee whose real
name is Joseph McGuinty. And for those that don't know
who McGee is, he got his start in music videos
(11:00):
and he was widely revered in the early two thousands,
and he got his big break in feature film when
Drew Barrymore approached him after seeing his music videos to
direct Charlie's Angels Full Throttle. So he was more of
like this highly stylized action, high speed chase kind of
a guy in theory. So when he took on the
(11:23):
project to see a director like that kind of take
this very serious true story and be able to kind
of be a motive and very cinematic and paste really well.
That's why it's on my list because I think it's
just one of I think it's a slightly underrated sports film,
maybe because it's Marshall University and it's kind of a tragedy,
but I just think it's an incredibly well directed sports
(11:46):
film from start to finish.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
There's nothing better than McConaughey with sitting at the table
in a Wolf Wall Street ponting his chest.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Oh. I mean, the memes are endless, right.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
And he made that up. He made that up on
the side, he made that up. He just kind of
won it with that and just threw it and it
was phenomenal. But anyways, I love McConaughey too. I mean,
I love him too, and it's a terrific movie. It
probably not publicized enough in my opinion.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah, I think. And again McConaughey, I think, you know,
people have he's kind of a divisive person as far
as like some people love him and some people can't
stand him. But in the film, I thought he played
that enthusiastic. His enthusiasm for life kind of comes across
in the characters, so it kind of feels, it feels natural,
it feels authentic.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Now at number three. Is perhaps my favorite sports movie
because I've had a crush on Sandra bulla forever. And
did you know that Julia Roberts turned down this part?
Speaker 3 (12:52):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
I did not know that in the blind Side it
was offered to Julia Roberts. And generally when you say, oh, well,
I mean the right person got it. Bullock was great.
Either one would have been great. I mean, I think
I'm a huge Central Bullock fan, and I think she's
a better actress or actor than people give a credit for.
(13:16):
And crash, she was great. And I think Roberts would
have killed in this movie too. Either one.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
You know, yeah, I don't disagree. I think I think
they kind of both can can play both ends of
the spectrum of kind of they have good timing both comedically,
dramatically and everything else. But I mean, Sandra Bullock kind
of nail's the performance to the point that you know,
she won the Oscar for Best Actress. But you know,
(13:45):
I think again, it's a film that is more kind
of a big Hollywood production, not very different from We
Are Marshall, that had more of a cinematic indie feel.
The blind Side is a big Hollywood production that has
a lot of heart, and it has a lot of
like really in your face writing that works really well.
(14:06):
It's well scripted, it goes through the story of Michael
or it's also again a true story. You know, it's
been called into question and some controversy over it in
the last couple of years about this procession, which is sad,
But the film itself is you know, it is definitely
a film you can watch with your whole family. And again,
(14:26):
this is a sports film that probably, like I said earlier,
is more about people in humanity and kind of trying
to do the right thing in life by helping other
people and seeing success and something. So yeah, it's a
tear jerkers. It's like an instant classic in my mind.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Well, and of course there's some very unrealistic moments in
there that happen. You know, she happens to be carrying
a gun, she goes into certain areas, and but those
are the reasons we watch movies, is because we want
unrealistic moments to become real or at least in our mind.
But ye, Michael Laure's issue was he did not like
how his character was portrayed. And I see that because
(15:07):
his character in the movie the film was uneducated, was reserved,
was very quiet, and from what I understand or felt,
and I've never met him, he was a little more outgoing.
There was a little more to him. And I don't
understand why the writers did that. I mean you could.
(15:29):
I mean, Michael Lewis I think wrote the book. But
for the screenwriters, you still could have made Michael Orr
Michael Orr. I mean you didn't have to create this
character that he was so downtrodden. To me, that was
my only thing when I when I I go, why
did they have to change it? I still think it
would have been great?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Ye. So when when when those articles started to come
out and Michael Orr was kind of questioning it years
later and kind of expressed his feelings and again around
the whole circumstance with with the with the two y family,
you know it is it's like one of those things
that happens in Hollywood, though, Gary, like and you know this,
Like you get in a writer's room, you start to
(16:10):
change things, you start to embellish, and you take those
you take those liberties, and if it starts to work,
they kind of tend to go for it. I agree
with you, though, I don't think they needed to do
that to the character, maybe as extensively as they did,
because I think that that's kind of an injustice to
to Michael.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
The story was still there though, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
All of it's still there. Yeah, exactly, exactly, Yep, I
totally agree.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Yeah, yeah, it's still It's still a great movie. I
still love to watch it. And then your number two.
I'm not big on any given Sunday. I don't like
al Pacino's wardrobe as the coach. The speech is legendary,
though the speech is great. The speech is great.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
The thing so Oliver Zone right as a director doing
his Oliver Stone gritty storytelling. I think that it's number
two on my list because for a number of reasons. One,
you have al Pacino in the speech and everything else
and anybody that's ever seen the movie. But again, it
kind of tells this interesting time at the NFL that's
(17:18):
not talked about very often, kind of the underbelly, the money,
all the decisions that ever being made behind the scenes.
But it's also kind of I love it because it
was kind of a classic story of the starting quarterback
goes down and the young upstart gets his chance. It's
very Tom Brady esque. But the thing I love about
it was the choices that they made that they kind
of went with the Michael Vick type of character in
(17:41):
the Willie Beaman character played by Jamie Fox. So at
the time, it was just it was really really it
was a fresh take on the NFL the quarterback position.
It was highly stylized in Oliver Stone's you know, approach
to it. And again it's kind of fun and kind
(18:02):
of quotable, and there's about a million ridiculous scenes that
are so over the top that it's just kind of hard.
It's kind of an undeniable film. I agree with you,
you know, if we were doing this and if the
category had to be different, like I was really like
voting on this, I don't know if it'd be at
number two, But as a guilty pleasure, it's definitely it's
high on my list.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
Well, he's speeching. Pacino's speech is phenomenal. It's just so
well written. It's on the nose, it's it's great. The
rest and I'm a big al guy.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Who do you think? Who do you think Al Pacino?
I don't know, but I'm curious to know who you
think al Pacino was inspired by.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
It feels like he's just doing al pacin.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
You know what when he shows up in the black outfit,
I mean, is he Carlito? Did he just come out
of Carlito's way and he comes down he's I'm going
to coach a football team, you know. I mean I
couldn't put it.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
You know, Parcells, no, I mean Belichick certainly, not Don Shula, no,
Tom Landry, no, Jimmy Johnson, No, I don't. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
He was like mafioso, Joe Paterno, I don't. I don't
know what it was, but I mean it was weird.
I mean weird.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
He looked like a nightclub owner instead of a football coach.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah yeah, but but but again, it just kind of
played into the whole, you know, uh, exaggerated surrealism that
they created in that film. The only thing I didn't
love about the film that they never got over the
hump on was clearing the actual NFL team. So it's
all made up teams, But you know, what, are you
gonna do?
Speaker 2 (19:42):
That stuff never bothers me. I mean to some degree
when I see the real name of the team, like
draft day. Obviously they made a deal with the NFL.
I become worried about censorship. You know, you got the
if you got the league and you pay for the
money and you got their name, you know you got
to give up on certain things. Yes, absolutely, you know
(20:04):
that doesn't that doesn't really bother me in that regard.
Number one is coming up, but pull a casey case,
let's go to an eighteen forty extra. We'll do number
one after this break. Last Boy Scout, what do you
think of that movie? Or did you see it?
Speaker 3 (20:21):
Oh? I saw it. I mean that's one of the speaking.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Of ridiculous scenes.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Horse the horse is pulling a gun on a football field.
They talk about Hollywood liberties. The Last Boy Scout the
top of the list.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Oh my god. And you know, you know when Shelley
opens the the briefcase, it's going to blow up. I
mean it's uh but the horse on the field with
a gun, That's what I was like. I have seen
it all, baby, I have seen it all. Toy's number
one football film, and I think everybody knows what it
(20:57):
is that's coming up next on WBC.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Night Side with Dan ray On WBZ, Boston's news.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Radio, Gary Tankway for Dan tonight. Don't worry, He's back
tomorrow night. Okay, the adults will be in the building
tomorrow night. Josh Kraft Canada from Mayor running against Michelle
Woo is going to be joining Dan tomorrow night on
Night Side at nine pm. Now, if you don't catch
it live, you know you can check it out easing
(21:28):
on the iHeartRadio app. It'll be on demand, folks, Dan
Ray Nightside. Tory Champagne is our guest right now we're
talking about football movies. His top five. I have some
thoughts coming up here, So Tory, without further ado, the
number one Tory Champagne football movie.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Is it has to be Friday Night Lights with unequivocally
Friday Night Lights for me is the film. And I'll
tell you why real quick, but I want to hear
what you're thinking. I think the film redefined how you
Can app which is a sports movie again, a true
story based on the book directed by Pete Berg. Kind
(22:08):
of broke Pete Burg out into the atmosphere as a director,
and he's gone on to dominate Hollywood and has done
amazing things throughout his career. But I think taking a
high school story is kind of one of those things
where you know you're really telling a line. You could
really this film could have easily felt like Varsity Blues
(22:30):
but at the Helm with Pete Burg at the Helm
and Billy Bob Thornton and playing the head coach, it
just kind of redefined like the cinematic approach to sports
movies in my mind. But I know, I'm.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Curiously it's the best sports movie ever.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
To me.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I put it just ahead of Hoosiers.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah, exactly, Yeah, thats sports movie ever.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Because of what you said, and I also thought out
of all the sports movies we've talked about, and you know, look,
the football scenes in any given Sunday not very good.
Last Boy Scout forget it. You know, we've just seen
some even Jerry McGuire, I mean, Jerry McGuire is really
(23:14):
not a sports movie. I will make that argument. The
football scenes with Rob Tidwell catching the ball in the
end zone, it looked like they laid down some green
turf in the corner of a studio. How about this
in the corner of a studio in an office park
in Burlington, mass It's inside joke and shot the end
(23:35):
zone there. I mean, it's the football scenes in Jerry
Maguire are terrible, which takes it. I think it's a
great movie. I think it's a perfect script. But as
far as being a football movie, no, not a chance.
Friday Night Lights is perfect, right down to the end.
The way it's shot, the way it's written, the way
(23:55):
it's choreographed football wise, the way it's choreographed is it
is bart It is phenomenal. I put Titans right behind it.
At the end of the movie, when he doesn't score,
that's the key toy, and the father comes down and
he hugs the kid. Every other spot. I remember how
many executives in Hollywood said, no, the guy's gonna score.
(24:18):
He's got to score. He's gotta score, regardless of what
happened in the book. The fact that he doesn't score
and it ends on the one yard nine makes it
the best sports movie ever.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
I think to your point, the reality that they approached
everything in the film, they didn't they. I mean, of
course it's stylized. I mean again, it's a Hollywood production,
but the whole thing, to your point, the storytelling is fantastic,
The lead up is fantastic. It's heartbreaking at times. It
is again looking at you know, a team of young
(24:51):
men in their senior year trying to win the state
title in Texas and they come up short, and they
didn't have a chance to begin with. There is the truth, right,
But they got there and they were they were on
the verge. I think the other thing that for me
from a film perspective is the film also made a
really interesting choice with the score because the majority of
(25:12):
the score was done by a band from Midland, Texas
of all places, which is a rival of Fermian called
Explosions in the Sky, and they were a post rock
instrumental band, so a bunch of guys noodling on delay guitars,
very cinematic and everything else. But at the time, those
types of bands were not featured, or that style of
(25:33):
music wasn't featured in films. Since that happened, since that film,
you cannot watch a single sports kind of anything without
hearing that tone in that style of music being used
to heighten things dramatically. So again credit to Pete Burg.
Not only did he do a great job with directing
the film, but he also kind of unintentionally set the
(25:56):
tone for the next twenty years of how people think
dramatic football should sound, and it's just a little banned
out of Texas. So I always found that very fascinating
as well.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
And also Tom, I mean, you know, Billy Bob Thornton
as the coach was phenomenal. Kyle Chandler taking over in
the television series was great as well, and he admitted
he couldn't barely even throw a football.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
I mean, but it also spawned spawned an entire series
that's been incredibly successful, in credible.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I mean, Kyle Chandler as the coach. It's very hard
to follow the footsteps of Billy Bob Thornton. We've seen
it time and time them again, I mean, even a
league of their own they did. They tried to do
a series, right and after this successful sports movie, they'll
try to do a series. It never works. It never works.
This is the exception. Even Ball four, which was a
(26:50):
movie in a book, they tried to make it anyone a
TV series. It bombed. This this is the exception, the
rare exception. I think it's the best piece of sports
cinema period. And the television series also does not disappoint
at all at all. Some of my thoughts. I love
Remember the Titans. If it's on television, I have to
(27:12):
watch it. My only problem with it is the dialogue
gets a little cheeky at the end when the two
coaches go back and forth and start talking to each
other and they give each other compliments. I'm like, I
don't need that. I didn't need that. But the backup
quarterback from California phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
But yeah, I mean Titans is you know, Denzel at
his finest. You know, there's there's that is a that
is a that is a nearly perfect movie. It was
hard to leave it off my list because it's it's
so good. But I hear you, I hear it's but
great film.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Phenomenal film. Actually, we have a caller. Let's go to
Kennon Westport who maybe wants to chime in on this
and coming up in a few minutes to he's going
to talk about some other great stuff that he's working on.
Ken you're on a double busy with Toy Champagne.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
How are you doing tonight?
Speaker 2 (28:04):
What's that buddy?
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Maybe not much. I haven't heard anybody mention The Replacements
yet tonight. I mean, that was a classic The Replacements?
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Was it was it really a classic? I mean, I wouldn't,
come on. I mean they had exotic dancers as their
as their cheerleaders.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
I mean, come on, they had so many good moments
in that film.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
I mean, I.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Don't know, Kenny Man, I think you got to I
would doesn't cut it from me. Did you ever see
the replacements? Tori?
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Yeah, yeah, Kean. I love Keanu Reeves, so I don't
want to criticize the film, but them's not good. Uh,
the you know, the Matrixes was maybe better.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Speed Go with Speed Tech speech, but the what to me?
Like Sandler, we did Longest Yard, which Tracy Morgan was
the best part of that.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Yeah, I mean Sandler's done. You know, Sandler's actually had
a pretty good run of sports films on both ends
of the spectrum too, right, Like he had Uh, he
had The Longest, the remake of The Longest Yard, The
water Boy, Happy gil Moore. But then he also did
Hustle a couple of years ago, which was pretty good. No,
I thought, I thought I thought it was good featuring
our friend Doc Rivers, that's right.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And The water Boy, though, to me, I think is
his best because it's so quotable and it's got Henry.
Speaker 3 (29:38):
Yeah, it kind of revived Henry Winkle's career.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
At Bobby bouche Man. I mean, to me, the water Boy,
That's that's his best that's his best sports movie.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
It's up there. It's definitely up there.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Toy's got some stuff that he wants to tell us about,
and I think it's about the w W, which I
find fascinating. We're going to get into that coming up
next on WBC's night Side.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Okay, back here in for Dan, Gary Tangwi again on WBC.
Tory Champagne from ESPN. It's top five football movies. Friday
Night Lights any given Sunday, The Blindside, we Are, Marshall
Draft Day, all great stuff I tossed in there, remember
the Titans. So everybody's good a fair, But I mean,
(30:29):
Friday Night Lights set the bar for all sports movies.
I think took it, you know, took right. It's even
above Hoosiers for me. Now, moving on before we get
into the WWE, which I think really sounds cool. Toy
the football documentary Enigma. I haven't seen it. Your thoughts
on that.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Yeah, you know, it's it's the It's a three part
series film called Enigma about Aaron Rodgers, directed by my
friend Gotham Choper over at Religion Sports. Yeah who. I
had the pleasure of working on Man in the Arena
with Tom Brady and with Serena Williams On in the Arena.
(31:12):
So Gotham directed it, and you know, it takes a
look at Aaron Rodgers over the course of three episodes,
basically from the moment he introduced his achilles when he's
with the Jets, as he steps onto the field, uh,
and through his recovery of the injury to come back.
But it really is an interesting look at a kind
(31:33):
of controversial He's become controversial over the last couple of
years because of his you know, stance through the COVID
and immunizations. You know, it's it's kind of revealing about
how he has, you know, he's kind of stepped away
from his family and and and kind of has shied
away from being you know, in touch with his family
(31:53):
through some kind of you know, complicated things that have
happened there. I don't want to give away too much
of the film, but what I will say is you know,
it's interesting in these times that when we are making
documentaries or we're out in the world working with athletes
to see how they take shape. And I think that's
what Gotham did so well with this three part film.
(32:14):
I'll say that instead of a series, because that's how
it feels, is he was really able to spend time
with Aaron. You see him at home recovering, You see
him going on a hyauasca trip where he experiences that
and how he comes out of it. So you get
to see that side of him that people have questioned
for so long, and it's happening in real time. It's
not the end of his career. It's still in kind
(32:37):
of motion, so to capture him in that really kind
of pivotal moment of recovery. For anybody that's an NFL fan,
it's a must watch in my opinion.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Is he more likable? Do you understand him more? After
watching it?
Speaker 3 (32:54):
I felt, And again, I think that's what the film
does well, is you know, object actively, you get both
sides of the story from him finally in ways that
people probably perceived. I think a lot of it's probably
not surprising to hear him talk and how he feels,
but he really actually does it. He actually sits there
(33:14):
and kind of explains his side and whether you like
him or dislike him, agree with him or disagree with him,
he's honest about who he is and how he sees
the world and perceives the world. And to be honest,
he's kind of a hippie. That's kind of how he
comes across. He comes across as a modern age hippie. That, Yeah,
he's odd and he's kind of reached the end. He's
(33:36):
kind of reached a point with his NFL career where
you know, he's kind of over the chasing certain aspects,
but he's still driven and motivated to try to go
win a Super Bowl again. So you get a lot
of different angles of him. So I don't ever like
to kind of prejudge somebody else's interpretation of a character
(33:56):
like that, But what I will say is I think
if you're curious, or if you're just an NFL fan,
or if you despise him, you will probably walk away
from this having a changed opinion about him one way
or the other.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Do you think Affleck should play Brady in a movie?
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Uh? Do I think a Flac would play Brady. It
depends on where he is in his career.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Well, that's just it. Because you know, our friends Casey
Sherman and Dave Wedge wrote the book twelve, which is
a great read, and you know that's been floating around
in development and trying to nail down, you know, who
would play Brady, and I've tried. It's I mean, look,
Ben's older, so it would have to be towards the
end of his career. But if you were going to
(34:42):
do a movie on Brady, the mistake that you cannot
make is you can't do the whole career. You can't
start at the beginning and go to the end unless
you did a ten episode. You'd have to do ten episodes.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
There was that I think the name is escaping me,
but there was a Kurt Warner you know bio that
came out a couple of years ago, and they tried
to do the whole thing. I can't remember the ANSWER's name.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
But no hem they got Sam Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
Yeah, and I think I think I think that's a Again,
that's a tough needle to thread for Kurt Warner, who
had a pretty decent, you know NFL career, Uh, trying
to stand Brady's career in two hours. Uh, that's nearly impossible.
So I agree with you.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
If I was going to pick a section of Brady's career,
I think it would have to be when he gets suspended.
You know, it's when he gets suspended for the four
games for the Flake game and they come back and
they win the Super Bowl. Yeah, that that's the season
I would pick. That's what I would do. I would
pick that.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, It's it's a hard toss up between that or
his origin story, because his origin story is pretty good too.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
So yeah, yeah, you know, maybe maybe you do a
Tom Brady one Tom Brady too, right, maybe, I mean
they got you know, Wicked one and two. Maybe we
could do that. Okay, this just sounds cool coming up
in March Stephanie's Place. Tell us all about it, Stephanie's
Places if you will.
Speaker 3 (36:07):
Yeah, yeah, no, no, really excited. ESPN Original You know
our team over here, you know, we've we've worked with
Peyton Manning and his company OMAHA for a number of
years on the Places series, So it's Peyton's Places. And
there's been a number of athletes that I have had
a series, you know, from from Poppy uh to Eli
(36:28):
PK Suban so span the world of sports in These
Places series and we were really fortunate. It was just
announced last week. Pat McAfee had Stephanie McMahon from the
w w E on his show, Uh, and Stephanie announced
that she will be doing w w e's Places, Stephanie's
(36:49):
Places coming to ESPN Original in March. So, you know,
we have a good fortune of you know, working on
that series with them, and I'm I'm really excited for
people to at the w w E. You know, I'll
say this, you know, my exposure WWE over time has
grown because of this series and the people there, and uh,
(37:09):
they're everywhere. They're on Netflix, you know, they've.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
Moved the brilliant Marday Night Raw.
Speaker 5 (37:14):
They're the number nine YouTube watch on you know, on
you know out there like the the WWE from an
entertainment storytelling uh standpoint in the world of sports entertainments.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
As they say, it's the appreciation I have for what
they do and who the what they what they bring
on a weekly basis has definitely been incredible. And Stephanie's
you know, it's it's amazing to see her out in
the world with these other superstars and kind of getting
these stories and going places with them. So, you know,
(37:47):
for people that are fans of Peyton's places, if you're
a w WE fan, andre not gonna want to miss it.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
They pulled back the curtain, admitted it was fake, which
we all really knew, and the thing grew. I mean,
as soon as it left Worldwide Wrestling and became entertainment,
it became a monster, an absolute monster, because I remember
as kids, it's fake. No it's not, it's fake. It's
no on' not. And then now all of a sudden,
everybody said, you know what, who cares? People love it.
(38:14):
It's unbelievable. The story is unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
You know, I think, I again, as always thinking from
a storytelling perspective, the fact that they can can continue
to entertain, and not only the wrestlers themselves, with the
you know, the characters that they are and the people
that they are and the entertainers that they are. It's
phenomenal to see that they've been able to kind of
(38:39):
keep building and keep growing and like I said, it's
bigger than ever.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Well, that's going to be very interesting to see. And
Tory did want to talk about the Fabulous movie School Ties,
which I co starred with Brendan Fraser Academy Award winner
Ben Affleck Academy Award winner, Matt Damon Academy Award winner,
where I was waiter number ten. So where was that
shutting wooster? Where was that shutting wooster?
Speaker 3 (39:03):
So I I as you know, I hail from Worcesterer.
That's uh, that's my hometown. There's the Miss Worcester Diner?
Is I always uh, you know, I grew up very
close to there, and I will never forget watching the film.
And that's when it clicked to me when I was
I was young, when it came out that, you know,
Matt Damon crosses the street to go into this diner,
(39:26):
I'm like, that's the Miss Worcester Diner. Also, that shot,
by the way, is totally cheated because where he starts
makes it look like he's on a street corner and
it's actually the abutment of a railroad bridge. So half
off to the director for pulling that shot off. But yeah,
you were in the film, and so.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Well, let me put it this way, you can do it.
I never made it's it's the it's the dining room
scene where uh, yes, it's the dining room scene with
Frasier and Damon and I think it's Josh Charles and
the young woman that that Fraser's dating. It's at the
(40:03):
end of a club and literally I am I am like,
wait a number ten. And I don't know why, but
they had, like the fourth assistant director tell me when
the walk and I was like, dude, I don't know
why you're telling me this because I am nowhere near
the camera shot nowhere. You can't see me. It doesn't
it doesn't exist. But I was there, baby, I was there.
(40:25):
All right, Tory, we gotta go. Great stuff, Thanks for
the update, Thanks for the countdown. We look forward to
seeing Stephanie's places WWE coming up in March, and also
just we'll keep up today and what's going on with
ESPN Films.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Absolutely good to be with you man. Let's talk you soon.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Okay, see Tory Champagne joining us from the ESPN and
Rhythm Masters if you haven't had a chance to see it,
Tory spend some time with the Grateful dead Man. That
was a trip. That is a hell of a doc.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
All right.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
Coming to next week continue our entertainment theme. Jackie Flynn
is going to join US and Jackie is in one
of the best kept secrets on television right now. And
if you're not watching this, I'm going to tell you
should watch it next on WBZ
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