At The Movies With Spencer

At The Movies With Spencer by Spencer McLachlin

Coming up with my ten favorite movies was more difficult than I anticipated so I tried to think of movies that were inspiring in some way. Some of these have inspirational story lines or quotes, and others are just awesome. These aren’t in any specific order.

Gladiator

Nothing is more inspiring than Maximus Decimus Meridius exacting his revenge on anyone and everyone who gets in his way. Maximus’ pre-fight routine, grabbing dirt and focusing, is the type of routine that every athlete should have before an event. I’m not saying that every athlete should grab and sniff dirt, but they should have a routine that gets him or her focused.

Old School

You’re my boy blue! I love a good underdog story. I also love college, brotherhood, parties, Will Ferrell, and Snoop Dogg. This movie clearly has the recipe for success in my book. Old School was also Will Ferrell’s, aka Frank the Tank’s, first big movie after having a great Saturday Night Live career. He has subsequently made sports movies about ice-skating (Blades of Glory), basketball (Semi Pro), and racecar driving (Talladega Nights). My question is, when will he do an epic on the great sport of volleyball?

Wedding Crashers

Rule 76: No excuses. Play like a champion! Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson have so many great lines, not to mention the second best cameo of all time by Will Ferrell (the best cameo goes to Bill Murray in Zombieland). Rachel McAdams is an angel who deserves someone who treats her right (me!). This was one of those movies that will be quoted at weddings for the next 50 years, at least.

Dumb and Dumber

Big gulps huh? It’s always fun to see which character is Dumb and which is Dumber. On the one hand, you have Jeff Daniels who gets his tongue stuck to a ski lift while trying to lick off the ice. Even a Hawaii-boy knows not to do that and I didn’t even see snow until I was 14! On the other hand, you have Jim Carrey who can’t read. It’s a tough debate, and makes for a great movie.

The Departed

The last ten minutes of this movie are ridiculous (I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, so I’m just going to use an ambiguous term). Besides Inception, this is the only movie that has made me want to buy the DVD to watch the alternate endings, which are generally pointless and insignificant for most movies (I didn’t buy it, because I’m a broke grad student so can I borrow it from someone?) The first 120 minutes are so intense and nerve-racking with so many plot twists, you can only wait with trepidation until the finale. The Departed is the latest great gangster movie (others include: The Godfather movies, Goodfellas, and of course Scarface)

Crazy Stupid Love

Ryan Gosling is so hot right now. Enough said.

The Dark Knight

I am a sucker for all of the superhero movies, and I think this one is the best. The acting, action, and storyline with the mind games that the Joker plays on the entire city of Gotham make this movie one of the greatest. At the time, it set the record for most revenue in one weekend, which I take pride in because I saw it twice that weekend. Heath Ledger is amazing in it, and won best supporting actor posthumously. I am excited for the final episode in the trilogy, but nervous that it won’t stack up to The Dark Night, because of Ledger’s absence.

Elf

This movie is Will Ferrell’s best. I will not argue with those who say Anchorman is better because that is just stupid. Ok, argument over and on to the greatness that is Buddy the Elf. Thanks to awful cable television stations trying to grab more viewers, Elf has become a Christmas tradition. If have a TV but don’t watch it at least once between Thanksgiving and Christmas, then you need to go to a doctor and make sure your heart isn’t two sizes too small, Grinch. I love this movie so much that I saw it twice…on opening night. I loved this movie so much that I went bought the costume online, after watching it twice in one night. Here is evidence of me in my Buddy the Elf costume:

You’re an angry elf!

School of Rock

As an aspiring teacher, most feel-good teacher movies rub me the right way. So too does Jack black.

All of the Star Wars Episodes and the Lord of the Rings trilogy

Whenever they are on TV, I watch them. No questions asked. I am watching Episode VI on Spike right now, in case you were wondering. Also, get excited for the next movie in the LOTR series, which is a prequel entitled, The Hobbit.

Step Brothers

Have I mentioned that I like Will Ferrell movies? What’s your favorite volleyball website? Did we just become best friends? Yup! Speaking of Will Ferrell, I am so excited for Casa de mi Padre, his new movie coming out soon.

For the obligatory sports movie, none is better than Remember the Titans (I almost put Sideout, the 1990 beach volleyball epic).

This is such an inspiring story about how people can unite during such a sad period of hate and prejudice in our country. Great actors, including a young Ryan Gosling and Denzel Washington, portray how great a team can be when they overcome their differences and focus on a common goal.

Thanks for reading and thanks for following Volleywood!

Spencer M.

As a bonus, here are some pics of Spencer playing for Stanford back in 2010 the same year he won the NCAA CROWN with Brad Lawson, Erik Shoji, Kawika Shoji, Gus Ellis and Evan Romero.