Game Film: Roster cuts

The offseason brings plenty of dead time, and with it, a chance to think outside the box a little bit. Thus comes the Game Film series. The goal of this project was simple enough: To rank the best football movies of all time. But first I had to decide exactly what I was looking for. To do that, I expanded my focus to look at what makes a sports movie great.

With any sports movie, I want drama, but I’d also like to laugh. I want a true appreciation of the sport, which includes seeing what the game means to the characters involved. I need game action, too — ideally including a climactic sequence which gives me goosebumps. And a rousing speech certainly doesn’t hurt -- one which reminds you…