The Wrestler
With tickets for many of the 'big' Olympics events snapped up in the first round - such as athletics, cycling and gymnastics - many of us, at FILMCLUB at least, have found ourselves excited at the prospect of seeing anything at all, including sports we've previously had no interest in!
But education charity FILMCLUB sees this as a blessing in disguise as drama, heroism and heartbreak can be found in all sports and at all levels.
The range of games involved in the Olympics gives a great opportunity to experience this, and to build the anticipation - especially for those who haven’t got the tickets they really wanted - FILMCLUB is recommending several films to highlight the drama in the minority, or lesser-known, sports.
Capturing the energy of live action can be difficult on screen, and cinema regularly takes inspiration from minority sports to do it successfully.
Take wrestling - for which there are still tickets available. On one hand, older film lovers could watch a serious take on the sport with Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, a film that rehabilitated actor Mickey Rourke's career in much the same way as his character Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson makes a triumphant comeback.
At the other end of the scale, if you're looking for something a little more light-hearted, there’s Jack Black in Nacho Libre, a warm, likeable film about a Mexican monk who dreams of becoming a star wrestler.
Or you might prefer to get your head around table-tennis ahead of next year's London games, in which case FILMCLUB recommends the fast and fun documentary Ping Pong, as it impressively portrays the lightening quick nature of the sport through the eyes of best friends Peco and Smile who play table tennis for their high school.
Screen legend Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby is another. His powerful film about female boxing stars Hilary Swank as waitress Maggie Fitzgerald, struggling to make it as a boxer and escape poverty.
For those looking to move away from Olympic sports, perhaps because they lost out in the ticketing ballots, there are plenty of non-Olympic sporting films to discover.
The 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys is a FILMCLUB favourite, which follows a group of Californian skateboarders in their 1970s suburban surroundings.
Then there’s the rough and ready world of girls' roller derbies in America, revealed in the Drew Barrymore-directed Whip It. This coming-of-age story has a 5 star rating from FILMCLUB members based on over 80 reviews from pupils and teachers.
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