“At his new high school, a rebellious teen Jake Tyler is lured into an ultimate underground fighting club in a Backyard Fight, where he finds a mentor in a mixed martial arts veteran. After receiving threats to the safety of his friends and family, Jake seeks the mentoring of a veteran fighter, to train his mind and body for one final no-holds-barred elimination fight with his unrelenting personal nemesis and local martial arts champion Ryan McCarthy. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}”

• Director: Jeff Wadlow
• Release Date: 14 March 2008 (USA)
• Run Time: 110 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Action , Drama , Sport
• MPAA: Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving intense sequences of fighting/violence, some sexuality, partying and language -- all involving teens.

Tagline: Win or Lose… Everyone Has Their Fight

Trivia: Sean Faris gained 15 lbs. of muscle for his role.

Goofs: Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Roqua says he hasn’t seen his family in seven years he only holds up five fingers.

“In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs? Director Christopher Bell explores America’s win-at-all-cost culture by examining how his two brothers became members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. Written by BSF Film”

• Director: Chris Bell
• Run Time: 105 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Documentary , Sport
• MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving drugs, language, some sexual content and violent images.

Tagline: The side effects of being American.

“The story begins with Speed Racer who is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win The Crucible, a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer. Speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents Pops and Mom. Pops designed Speed’s car, the Mach 5. The owner of Royalton Industries makes Speed a lucrative offer, Speed rejects the offer, angering the owner. Speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including Royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. With the offer to Speed denied, Royalton wants to ensure that Speed will not win races. Speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend Trixie and enters The Crucible in a partnership with his one-time rival, Racer X, seeking to rescue his family’s business and the racing sport itself. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}”

• Release Date: 9 May 2008 (USA)
• Run Time: 135 min
• Country: USA , Germany
• Genre: Action , Family , Sport
• MPAA: Rated PG for sequences of action, some violence and language.

Tagline: Go

Trivia: Zac Efron was originally casted as Speed Racer, but was soon replaced with Emile Hirsch.

Goofs: Revealing mistakes: During the second leg of the Casa Cristo 500, when Speed spins around to avoid Snake’s oil spill, the back side of the Mach 5 goes off the side of the road. The effects and angle of the car are the same as if the car was completely on solid ground.

“Is there room for principle in Los Angeles? Mike Terry teaches jujitsu and barely makes ends meet. His Brazilian wife, whose family promotes fights, wants to see Mike in the ring making money, but to him competition is degrading. A woman sideswipes Mike’s car and then, after an odd sequence of events, shoots out the studio’s window. Later that evening, Mike rescues an action movie star in a fistfight at a bar. In return, the actor befriends Mike, gives him a gift, offers him work on his newest film, and introduces Mike’s wife to his own -- the women initiate business dealings. Then, things go sour all at once, Mike’s debts mount, and going into the ring may be his only option. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}”

• Director: David Mamet
• Release Date: 9 May 2008 (USA)
• Run Time: 99 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Action , Drama , Sport
• MPAA: Rated R for strong language.

Tagline: There’s always a way out. You just have to find it.

Trivia: Ed O’Neill’s practice of Brazilian Ju-Jitsu partially inspired Mamet to write the movie.

Goofs: Continuity: When Mike is on Chet’s set during the knife demonstration, the knife fighters shirt first appears to be clean. When the camera shot changes it becomes sweaty in the front and back, and when the camera changes again it appears to be clean.

“Talented-but-troubled rugby player Rick Penning (Faris) lands in jail for his reckless behavior, where he’s awarded the opportunity to join Highland Rugby, a team as unique and principled as its coach (Cole). Rick’s dedication and loyalty to more than just the game will be tested, when Highland charges toward the national championship; also heading toward the big match is the team coached by Rick’s father, perhaps the source of the young man’s angst.”

• Director: Ryan Little
• Release Date: 26 September 2008 (USA)
• Run Time: USA:112 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Drama , Sport
• MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving teen drug and alcohol use, and for some disturbing images.

Tagline: The Greatest Victories are Born in the Heart

Trivia: Sean Faris runs 6 miles twice a day to get in rugby shape in the 100+ weather at Utah.

“Fifteen young sailors… six months of intense training… one chance at the brass ring. This documentary tells the story of a group of intrepid and determined young men and women, on the cusp of adulthood, as they embark on life’s first great adventure. Racing a high-performance 52-foot sloop in the TRANSPAC, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions, the crew of “Morning Light” matches wits and skills in a dramatic 2300 mile showdown against top professionals. From their earliest training sessions in Hawaii conducted by world-class teachers through their test of endurance on the high seas, they form an unbreakable bond in the process of becoming a singular team that is greater than the sum of its parts. Written by Walt Disney Pictures”

• Director: Mark Monroe
• Release Date: 12 March 2009 (Australia)
• Run Time: 100 min | USA:97 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Documentary , Sport
• MPAA: Rated PG for some language. (edited for re-rating; originally Rated PG for language and some rude dialogue)

Tagline: A 2500 mile journey that will change the course of their lives forever.

“This is a drama about an aging professional wrestler, decades past his prime, who now barely gets by working small wrestling shows in VFW halls and as a part-time grocery store employee. As he faces health problems that may end his wrestling career for good he attempts to come to terms with his life outside the ring: by working full time at the grocery store, trying to reconcile with the daughter he abandoned in childhood and forming a closer bond with a stripper he has romantic feelings for. He struggles with his new life and an offer of a high-profile rematch with his 1980s arch-nemesis, The Ayatollah, which may be his ticket back to stardom. Written by Matlock-6″

• Director: Darren Aronofsky
• Release Date: 30 January 2009 (USA)
• Run Time: 111 min
• Country: USA , France
• Genre: Drama , Sport
• MPAA: Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use.

Tagline: Love. Pain. Glory.

Trivia: Artie Lange, John Ventimiglia, and Dave Attell screen tested for the role of Nick.

Goofs: Anachronisms: When Randy gets woken up in the van by the kids, the license plate it a New Jersey plate introduced in the early 1990s. The movie is set in the late 1980s.

“A chronicle of Miguel “Sugar” Santos’s experience in the U.S., as the young Dominican baseball star is recruited to play in the minor leagues.”

• Release Date: 5 June 2009 (UK)
• Run Time: 120 min
• Country: USA
• Genre: Drama , Sport
• MPAA: Rated R for language, some sexuality and brief drug use.; Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and brief drug use. (dvd edition)

Trivia: After this film was shot, the name of the team in Iowa was changed from the Quad City Swing to its former team name of the Quad City River Bandits.

Goofs: Factual errors: In the “thank you” list during the end credits Iowa Governor Chet Culber is mentioned. The governor’s name is Culver, not Culber.

“A chance encounter with a talent scout affords half-brothers Tato (Bernal) and Beto (Luna) the opportunity to play professional soccer in Mexico City. The catch: the scout can only bring one of the boys, which kickstarts an intense sibling rivalry, though fate will not keep the brothers apart for long.”