2012 Film Olympics: The Games are afoot

Posted Thursday, July 26, 2012 at 4:54 PM Central
Last updated Friday, July 27, 2012 at 11:15 PM Central

by John Couture

I admit it. I'm an Olympics nerd.

I have no shame. I will stay up to the wee hours of the morning to see a hotly contested Team Handball match. I will get up at 3:00AM for no other reason than to see Team USA slaughter some poor country in a preliminary basketball game.

I like the pageant. I like the human interest stories. I like the pure sports competition. I buy it all hook, line and sinker.

As we sit here on the cusp of yet another fortnight of Olympic Games, I got to thinking. I know, that's never a good idea. But what would happen if we combined my two loves, movies and the Olympics?

Well, we are about to find out. For the next 18 days, I am going to geek out over the Olympics and film. Each day, I will present a new category (sport) that may or may not be loosely associated with what's going on over in London.

Just like the real Olympics, I'll hand out gold, silver and bronze medals to the winners. If you like it, who knows maybe I'll even come up with medal counts for the studios (countries).

Since the Olympics haven't officially started yet, I thought that the best way to kick start this little series is to honor the host city. And that fits given that the host city is usually the first thing that you find out about any given Olympics.

As you are most likely well aware, this year's Olympics are being held in London. The land of fish and chips and Jack the Ripper is fertile ground for films as it plays host to literally hundreds, if not thousands, of movies.

Some of film's most iconic scenes were filmed in the fog-filled streets of London which only made it that much more difficult to pick the medal winners. I'm sure the winners will spark a nice discussion as everyone will surely feel snubbed that their favorite London didn't win a medal.

Remember, there are only three medals that we can give out, so some film is always going to come in fourth place. Without further ado, here are the Olympic medal winners for films set in London.

BRONZE

It would be a sin to honor movies set in London and not even have a single Stanley Kubrick film make the medal podium. The droogs terrorizing the streets of London make for some iconic scenes that are burned into the subconscious of its viewers, much like the propaganda is burned into the retinas of the protagonist. A Clockwork Orange has survived the test of time and if there are any excessive celebrations on the other side of the pond, let's hope they don't resemble the rabble rousing in this film.

SILVER

No trip to London would be complete without a little bit of the Bard, now would it? I still can't believe that this film captured 7 Academy Awards, and yet it did. I guess you could say that Shakespeare in Love embodies the underdog spirit that you tend to find in the Olympic Games.

GOLD

Right out of the gate, we have an upset as relative newcomer Shaun of the Dead takes home the first gold medal from the 2012 games. Sure, the film is about zombies, but don't let their slow gait fool you. This film oozes London and is as good of a modern depiction of London that you'll find. That, and it's funny as hell. What is more British than killing a few zombies with a cricket mallet while on your way to the pub?

So, how did I do?

And because I'm feeling crafty, here's an early medal count:

Make sure you come back tomorrow and watch as I turn up the heat.