Pirates of the Caribbean, Moonstruck, Slapshot

Tom Plonka
Hockey player from Rhode Island

I’m on the water a lot with my boat going to Catalina and Mexico, so I guess I like movies that take you out to the high seas. I think the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was good. Johnny Depp’s a good actor and as Captain Jack Sparrow he’s pretty cool. But the two sequels just didn’t make any sense. Dead Man’s Chest just stopped in the middle of nowhere.

On a more realistic note, Master and Commander, with Russell Crowe, was very good. The film took you all over the globe, and even to the Galapagos Islands. That film captures the real feel of the ocean. It’s also interesting because it was shot near here in Baja.

Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
(USA) 2003, Walt Disney

Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Edition)
(USA) 2003, Twentieth Century Fox

Mike Farrel
Hockey player from Buffalo, New York

Here goes, three films from Buffalo. I have to start with the 1950s’ film Niagara. It’s the movie that put Buffalo on the map. A young Marilyn Monroe, the intense compression of air, and tons of water from the falls — they all combine for a powerful effect.

The Robert Redford baseball movie The Natural shot a few scenes just a couple miles from my parents’ house, which is just outside Buffalo. Some people tell me I look a lot like Redford. Wait a minute — he’s getting pretty old! I once wrote “wonder boy” on my hockey stick.

But Moonstruck may be my favorite movie of all time. I’m not a big Cher fan, but she worked in this movie. Nicolas Cage was awesome. Frickin’ funny. “When the moon in the sky looks like a big pizza pie, that’s amore...”

Niagara
(USA) 1953, Twentieth Century Fox

The Natural
(USA) 1984, Sony Pictures

Moonstruck
(USA) 1987, MGM

Timo Maslin
Hockey player from Finland

Miracle, about the famous 1980 Olympic hockey game, may have been the reason I came to America. Just joking. I was 12 years old when that U.S. team beat my Finns in the Olympics, and then went on to beat the Russians to win the gold. Great story for the USA, sad story for the Finns. And then they made it into a movie with Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks. USA! USA! USA!

Slapshot is the classic movie of all time. Blood, fights, and plenty of beer. The Hansen brothers gave goons a good name. This is a great training film for any kid wanting to play hockey. Paul Newman, as the aging player/coach, even skates okay. He kept his head up like a real hockey player. But don’t watch any of that Mighty Ducks crap.

Miracle (Widescreen Edition)
(USA) 2004, Walt Disney

Slap Shot (25th Anniversary Special Edition)
(USA) 1977, Universal