Add me to the list of people who thought the Once Brothers piece was outstanding. In what could have easily been a contrived film, Vlade Divac comes across as an engaging, intelligent and sincere narrator.
For those of you who have followed the NBA for a while, especially the Eastern Conference, you will be reminded about how much Drazen Petrovic's star was ascending when he died. I would have loved to see what he would have done over the next few seasons with a then effective Kenny Anderson and Derek Coleman.
That said, this 30 For 30 was riveting. Catch it if you can.
The Steinbrenner one also sucks. The ones you name are very good, though, and well worth watching.Seek out the ones on Colombian soccer, Ali/Holmes, Miami football, and the USFL. Almost all are worth a watch except probably the Navratilova/Evert piece.
The Loyola Marymount/Hank Gathers one didn't get much publicity (I don't think it was the best made from a cinematic perspective), but I enjoyed it very much.For someone who is late to this party, are there others I should make a point of watching?
Was Comcast able to expunge Lenny Clark from the film? Otherwise, even with Simmons, it's one happy lump in the throat experience.Just a heads up for Comcast customers, "Four Days in October" is now available "On Demand" under Sports/ESPN
The Loyola Marymount/Hank Gathers one didn't get much publicity (I don't think it was the best made from a cinematic perspective), but I enjoyed it very much.
I'll also add that the one about Len Bias was very good. Jimmy the Greek was pretty good also, but not great.So the 04 Sox thing was the first of these I've watched, and then we watched the Divac-Petrovic episode, which was without a doubt one of the finest documentaries I've ever seen. Are they all this good? For someone who is late to this party, are there others I should make a point of watching?
Its really an incredible series. Kudos to Sportsguy.I'll also add that the one about Len Bias was very good. Jimmy the Greek was pretty good also, but not great.
It was okay but it could have been much better. They should have dealt more with his marriage and the women he infected.Last night's program on Tim Richmond was great. Only caught the last 1/2, but will go back and watch the whole thing.
Yes to the Escobars doc. That was amazing. I liked the Bias episode, but did not feel as though it conveyed much new info.Its really an incredible series. Kudos to Sportsguy.
My favorite one was actually the Two Escobars about the Colombian soccer team. I had no idea that shit was going on with that team when I watched them in the World Cup that year. Very well done and powerful.
I'm sure that would have been compelling as well, but this was produced by NASCAR, was more image piece/hero worship and did well in that area. Considering how NASCAR apparently treated him before and during his illness it was amusing how they still danced around the AIDS issue even after all these years. Like most good documentaries it gave me a lot of good information and made me want to learn more, where things can be more fleshed out.It was okay but it could have been much better. They should have dealt more with his marriage and the women he infected.
HBO Real Sports interviewed his model/actress wife and some other women a few years ago and it was some pretty crazy stuff. Basically said that he pursued them vigorously, only to have sex with them once or twice, take them out in public to show his heterosexuality, infect them with AIDS, then not see them anymore. His sister denied this last night but the guy was a pretty horrible human being because by all accounts because he knew he was killing people (if you believe the 60 Minutes and HBO pieces).
My father has a friend who is a huge, diehard NASCAR fan for over 30 years. He was good friends with a couple of the drivers in the 70s and 80s so I asked him out of curiosity if Richmond was a closeted homosexual (that's what the old HBO piece implied). My father's friend then threatened to punch me in the face "for asking such a stupid question." So...you make an excellent point.I'm sure that would have been compelling as well, but this was produced by NASCAR, was more image piece/hero worship and did well in that area. Considering how NASCAR apparently treated him before and during his illness it was amusing how they still danced around the AIDS issue even after all these years. Like most good documentaries it gave me a lot of good information and made me want to learn more, where things can be more fleshed out.
They probably would've needed another 30 minutes to tackle that.It was okay but it could have been much better. They should have dealt more with his marriage and the women he infected.
HBO Real Sports interviewed his model/actress wife and some other women a few years ago and it was some pretty crazy stuff. Basically said that he pursued them vigorously, only to have sex with them once or twice, take them out in public to show his heterosexuality, infect them with AIDS, then not see them anymore. His sister denied this last night but the guy was a pretty horrible human being because by all accounts because he knew he was killing people (if you believe the 60 Minutes and HBO pieces).
You're nuts. I think many of them have been really well done, and the one tonight was fascinating to someone like me who knew very little about the subject.I don't get these. I've feel like I've watched so many now and none seem to have the ability capture my attention for an hour, the two exceptions being Ricky Wiliams and Vlade/Petrocic, but in general they all seem like they are HBO-lite. The one tonight is a subject I generally love and I was told it was one of the best, yet it was really blah.
I think you might be in the minority on this one. Maybe we are all biased because documentaries and movies on sports topics are generally not of great quality? But I think the vast majority of these have been very well done, and I only got to catch a few minutes of tonights episode and immediately DVRd the replay.I don't get these. I've feel like I've watched so many now and none seem to have the ability capture my attention for an hour, the two exceptions being Ricky Wiliams and Vlade/Petrocic, but in general they all seem like they are HBO-lite. The one tonight is a subject I generally love and I was told it was one of the best, yet it was really blah.
...and equally fascinating to someone like me who remembers the saga very well, but only knew what the (much less pervasive) media reported at the time.You're nuts. I think many of them have been really well done, and the one tonight was fascinating to someone like me know knew very little about the subject.
Wow, that did nothing for you? You have a hard hard heart.I don't get these. I've feel like I've watched so many now and none seem to have the ability capture my attention for an hour, the two exceptions being Ricky Wiliams and Vlade/Petrocic, but in general they all seem like they are HBO-lite. The one tonight is a subject I generally love and I was told it was one of the best, yet it was really blah.
Love the quote someone had that it was looking at the field in was like seeing 21 high school players and Jim Brown.And how about those runs in high school? Unfuckingbelievable.
I was too young to remember Dupree, but like everyone I also greatly enjoyed the documentary. The part that really sticks out to me is that as fans, we focus on athlete's performance above everything else, and tend to begrudge players who 'make it' the money they earn. The opposite side of that are guys like Dupree - guys who have assloads of talent and confidence on the field, but don't have the ability to handle the business pressure (Dupree comes of as a laid-back country folk type, and from the documentary let his career happen around him and let others make a lot of decisions for him - the Rev. handling his money, decisions on where to play, etc.) and media, travel, and all the other extraneous thing that come off the field. It also shows how not effectively managing your career in sports can end disastrously if some career-ending injury occurs.That was a fan-freakin-tastic 2 hours. Like a few of you, I was old enough to vaguely know about Dupree, but being in New England certainly didn't follow the saga all that closely. Didn't recall the injury or the comeback (seeing that first run with the Rams was remarkable).
I was struck by how at-peace he seemed with how things turned out. Especially in talking about when he was cut by them Rams. Although you could certainly see a twinge of regret when he saw his old H.S. films ("who is that guy?").
Just a great, great documentary.
Skip Bayless just made this point on First Take.The juxtaposition of the Dupree biography last night with the continued stories of Cam Newton I heard this morning on sports radio really struck me. Big time college football is as much a cesspool now as it was in Dupree's time.
Agreed, though I was left wondering why no other team picked him up. Does anyone on this board remember seeing DuPree play for that Rams in that preseason?I was struck by how at-peace he seemed with how things turned out. Especially in talking about when he was cut by them Rams. Although you could certainly see a twinge of regret when he saw his old H.S. films ("who is that guy?").
Just a great, great documentary.
Well, isn't that timely.I just saw the trailer for Pony Exce$$, the 30 for 30 about SMU football in the 1980s. It looks interesting despite the presence of Skip Bayless.
http://blog.dlpentertainment.com/30-for-30-trailer