Scarlet Daily Digest: Coach Parker's Top 10 Movies
November 24, 2010 | Men's Ice Hockey
Nov. 24, 2010
Some coaches' choices of screening go well beyond game film. When we asked legendary ice hockey coach Jack Parker to reflect on his all-time favorite movies, he took the challenge almost as seriously as drawing up a game plan against an opponent. After careful reflection on his many years as a devoted moviegoer, he assembled a list that covers a wide range of genres.
"The first five are definitely my top five," Parker said. "The next five are definitely in my top 20, but they're the ones I came up with off the top of my head... I think the sign of a good movie is that if it's on TV and you come across it, you've got to watch it--you can't change the channel."
1. On The Waterfront - Marlon Brando stars as a former prizefighter turned longshoreman, struggling against corrupt union leaders. "One of the best movies ever made. I'm a real Marlon Brando fan, but it was so well acted. Everyone in it was terrific."
2. The Godfather - The first of three films revolving around the fictional Italian Corleone crime family. "The same holds true for the Godfather movies..."
3. The Godfather II - "...Both of these movies held you at the end of your seat in a lot of different ways."
4. Lawrence of Arabia - The epic tale of a flamboyant British soldier and his conflicted loyalties during World War I. "It was just so different--the size and scope of the whole thing. I remember seeing that on one of the big screens on Cambridge Street in Boston. Honestly I thought you could taste the sand in that movie."
5. Raging Bull - Robert De Niro stars as a boxer whose temper and violence lead to success in the ring and self-destruction outside of it.
6. Pulp Fiction - A film noir by director Quentin Tarantino, in which the paths of various seamy characters cross--often violently. "I was fascinated with a couple of things: It's the only movie I know that begins and ends in the middle. And Tarantino is a storyteller who has all of these whacked-out characters, but he shows you them in everyday life. It fascinated me--these guys who do something for a living that you and I could never think about doing, but what do these people talk about at lunch?"
7. Midnight Run - Robert DeNiro stars as an accountant who jumps bail and ends up on the run from bounty hunters, the FBI, and the Mafia. "It's either Midnight Run for comedy or Get Shorty. Those are my two favorite comedies."
8. To Kill A Mockingbird - Gregory Peck stars as a southern lawyer defending a black man against an unfair charge while simultaneously teaching his kids about prejudice.
9. Patton - A biographical movie about the legendary World War II general and his exploits in Europe. "There's no way I could turn the channel when it's George C. Scott playing Patton. One of the greatest acting jobs."
10. One-Eyed Jacks - After his partner in a bank robbery leaves him to be captured, a man escapes from prison and seeks vengeance on his traitorous ex-ally. "One of my favorite cowboy movies... Again, Marlon Brando, a lot of great lines. If I'm going with a cowboy movie, it might be that, though I also liked Red River."
What about Slapshot? Parker is not a fan. "I love Paul Newman, but I didn't like it then, and I don't watch it ever," Parker said. "It's not because of what people said. I remember people saying "Ah, it gives hockey a bad name!" Hey, that's how minor league hockey was: The truth will set you free. But I just didn't enjoy it."
