Archie Madekwe Photo: Sony PicturesThe auto-racing drama “Gran Turismo,” based on the Sony PlayStation game and released by Sony’s Columbia Pictures, makes much of a concept I’d never heard before: “to podium.” It means to finish in the top three, and according to a crusty coach, only those “who podium” get to celebrate with champagne. Does the team that finishes second in the World Series dive into the Veuve Clicquot? Previous to this picture, finishing second or lower was commonly known as “losing,” but I suspect “Gran Turismo” is signaling modest ambitions both for its protagonist and itself: It would be content to be dubbed the third-best sports-underdog movie of the year.

---

Persons: Archie Madekwe Organizations: Sony, Turismo, Sony PlayStation, Sony’s Columbia Pictures