The 2008 Olympics are here! And what better way to celebrate than by watching movies that celebrate the Olympics. Below are the Top 10 Olympic Movies - the connection may be big or small, but each of the films below either embrace the Olympic spirit, explore an actual Olympic event or celebrate the people and sports behind the games. So when you need a break from the actual Beijing Olympic games, pop one of these flicks into your DVD player!

And as always let me know if I missed your favorite film and be sure to takepart with Team Darfur, a group of Olympic Athletes standing up against genocide.

10) The Cutting Edge - Love and ice skating, a little cheesy but all in good fun. The film begins with Olympic failure but proves that we must persevere. Also, keep an eye out for an early appearance from Lost’s John Locke!

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9) Munich - I’m not a fan of Spielberg or this film so much, but it is beautifully shot and deals with the aftermath of one of biggest Olympic events ever..

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8 ) Prefontaine

One of two movies about runner Steve Prefontaine. This one stars Jared Leto. If you prefer Billy Crudup skip down one number.

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7) Without Limits - See above

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6) Miracle - The story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and their inspiring victory over Russia.

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5) Ali - Michael Mann’s take on the infamous fighter features Will Smith at his best.

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4) Cool Runnings - How could you not like this movie - the story of some boys from Jamaica and their dreams to be bobsled champions still makes me laugh!

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3) One Day in September

A powerful documentary about the 1972 Olympics in Munich and what happened when the group Black September held Israeli athletes hostage.

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2) Tokyo Olympiad - “Kon Ichikawa’s Tokyo Olympiad ranks among the greatest documents of sport ever committed to film. Utilizing glorious widescreen cinematography, Ichikawa examines the beauty and rich drama on display at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, creating a catalogue of extraordinary observations that range from the expansive to the intimate.” Criterion said it better than I could

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1) Chariots of Fire

A.O. Scott at the New York Times has a great video piece up about the classic Olympic film. See it HERE.

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Read on:

• Beijing’s Pollution Not Gone, Just Moved Outside of Town
• Joey Cheek A Threat To Security??
• Olympic Flag Bearer for the US: A Champion of Darfur