They Were (Mostly) Unstoppable..."Red Army"

Red Army (2014)

Rated PG

Written & Directed by Gabe Polsky

The Story:

The story of the greatest sports dynasty of all time: The Soviet Union's Red Army hockey team. The only chink in their armor came in 1980 with the "Do You Believe In Miracles" moment in Lake Placid where they fell to the American Olympic team. This is their story, as told by the members of that elite group.

Polsky leaves few stones unturned as he tracked down each member of the team, some more willing to comment and weave stories than others.

The story focuses mostly on team captain Viacheslav Fetisov and his struggles to carry the team, then his desire to leave the team and the animosity it created between him and his country.

The unparalleled success the Russian hockey team enjoyed is examined thoroughly and the debate could be in spite of or because of the way they were treated as to how well they played on the ice.

They would tour the world and beat professional hockey teams soundly in exhibition games.

Then when they were finally able to play professionally, teams snapped them up, but the players were never that successful as they were back home.

Many were not treated the best on their teams to begin with, but their talents could not be harnessed as effectively as when they skated together.

Enter Scotty Bowman, then coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

He brought the Red Army team under his leadership and basically let them skate.

They began to play as they once had, and his advice was to simply keep doing what it is you do.

He sat back and let them skate their way to a Stanley Cup.

Yes, the Soviet team was that good, and so was this documentary, whether you are a hockey fan or not.

Final Grade:  B+

I Wanna Fly Like "Eddie The Eagle"

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman,

Directed by

The Story:

Eddie Edwards (Egerton) is actually a pretty good British skier, but when he fails to make the Olympic team, he checks the rules and realizes that the British downhill jumping ski requirements are very lax, and exploits that loophole to become the team.

This is the story that, alongside the Jamaican bobsled team, made the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics likely the greatest Olympics in modern history.

Or at least the one with the best "feel good" moments from watching that I can remember.

While the backstory of Eddie gets Hollywood-ized, such as the invention of a coach (Jackman) that didn't really exist, the feel-good nature of Eddie's tale comes through strongly.

The real sad take away from this film is that the British, along with most other countries, have changed the rulebooks so much, they have taken away the opportunity for anyone not entrenched in the Olympic money machine to ever replicate Eddie's journey and even get the chance to compete in the Olympics.

And that's a shame, because while America, or at least journalists reporting from the Olympics, are at least obsessed with the medal count, it's the human stories that touch most viewers.

And you don't need to dig to find how this child was raised in 13 broken homes to reach our heartstrings, it's the passion and joy from the athletes that make us gravitate towards liking them.


Final Grade:  B

Possibly The Greatest "Race" In History

Race (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, Carice van Houten, Barnaby Metschurat, Eli Goree, Shanice Benton,

Directed by Stephen Hopkins

The Story:

Jesse Owens (James) heads to Ohio State, becomes a track legend under the tutelage of coach Larry Snyder (Sudeikis) and eventually becomes the Olympic hero that everyone remembers.

The time has come to tell his story, finally.

Why it took 80 years to get to the big screen is beyond me, but with the cooperation of Jesse's family, it's finally here.

Naturally, some things are going to be compressed for time, changed for dramatic emphasis, but the nuts and bolts of the story are all the same.

The pressure faced by the Olympic committee to even go to Germany in 1936 is presented.

So too is the pressure Owens himself faced, told by the NAACP to sit out the games as a protest.

I'd like to think that history has made that symbolic gesture seem pointless, as normally the only way to confront a bully is to look him square in the eye, and then punch him square in the face.

Owens did that, and more.

James is great as Owens, bringing to life one of America's greatest Olympic legends.

And he is presented, warts and all, and not lifted up as something other than a normal man, who just happened to be really, really fast.

The real revelation is Sudeikis playing a non-comedic role.

He gets a great chance to shine, and his scenes with James bring their chemistry to life.

Also of note, Germany filmed the games for the documentary Olympia, and that storyline also unfolds in this movie, and much of what they brought to that production is the backbone of televising modern sporting events.

Final Grade: Solid B

Just In Time For The Olympics..."The Bronze"

The Bronze (2015)

Rated R

Starring Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong,

Directed by Bryan Buckley

The Story:

Hope Annabelle Greggory (Rauch) was the little Olympian that could, fighting through an injury to win Bronze in gymnastics. Years removed, she lives like the Queen of Amherst Ohio, living the life of a celebrity. But now there is a new gymnast in town, Maggie (Richardson) who has the potential to go all the way. It's up to Hope to see that she gets there, but Hope isn't sure she's ready to give up her status as the most talented Olympian in her hometown.

If you saw the trailer, you know that Melissa Rauch is going to spout some of the most vulgar insults you've ever heard in a film about the Olympics. That she can pull it off with a straight face and a crazy delivery is just one of the things that starts to win you over about this film.

Or at least, it won me over.

She co-wrote with her husband, the movie, but she gives plenty of good material to the rest of the cast to equally enjoy in the antics.

Gary Cole gets most of the best parts as her beleaguered father who wants only the best for his little gymnast, and may have been a bit of an enabler over the years.

Sebastian Stan also arrives as the Olympic coach who has a past with Hope and wants to get Maggie's services for the Olympic team.

The gymnastic routines themselves are quite good, and the filmmakers did a nice job of sprinkling in actual former gymnastic stars as commentators which helps lend an additional air of authenticity and fun to the proceedings.

Final Grade: B-

A Sentiment Shared By Many... "I Hate Christian Laettner"

I Hate Christian Laettner (2015)

Starring Christian Laettner, And Everyone Who Hate(s)/(ed) Him

The Story:

There are 2 types of College Basketball fans: those that go to Duke University, and those that hate everything about Duke University. Just as they were becoming a decent basketball team and Mike Krzyzewski was about to become THE coach of legend, there came a good looking, talented white player with a bit of an attitude named Christian Laettner.

He became the poster child of Duke, and he became the reason the entire basketball universe hated Duke especially, and Laettner specifically.

While I don't follow NCAA Basketball much anymore, back then, I tuned in with great enthusiasm to watch March Madness as the teams played their hearts out, and 63 teams left with shattered dreams, broken egos and puddles of tears flowing on the hardwood.

I, much like everyone else outside of Duke, didn't really care for Christian Laettner.  There was just something about him that rubs you the wrong way.

You can't quite put your finger on it, but it's just there.

When that spoiled brat joined the original Olympic Dream Team?  Hoooo Boy... I still remember how angry that made me.  Clyde Drexler had just barely made the team, and they hand a spot to this Golden Boy from college?  Grrr....

So when I saw this title on Netflix, it made me chuckle and think back 2 decades earlier and I thought, yeah, I sure did.

So did ESPN deliver on their latest installment in the exceptional 30 for 30 franchise?  Absolutely.

The best part, Laettner is at the center of this documentary, and he takes it all in stride.  He knows he was hated.  He knows he's STILL hated, and I think secretly, he loves it.

He may not have racked up a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, thanks mostly to being stuck on lousy teams moreso than anything he did or did not do personally, his college stats reveal a shocking truth:

Christian Laettner is, was, and will likely always be, the greatest college basketball player.

Ever.

Period.

Beginning and end of argument.

There's really nobody else even close to the caliber of what he did with his team in the annals of college basketball before, during or since his time on the court.

Yes people, we witnessed history, and loved booing every minute of it.

Laettner?  He soaked it up like any good villain does, and simply did his job.

By the end of the documentary, you make still hate Christian Laettner, but that hatred may be toned down just a tad.

Maybe.

: )

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B+