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+

Nuke On The Loose! "Phantom"

Phantom (2013)

Rated R

Starring Ed Harris, William Fichtner, David Duchovny

Written and Directed by Todd Robinson

The Story:

Demi (Harris) is a Soviet Submarine Captain set to retire. He is given one last mission with most of his crew including his first mate, Alex (Fichtner). Other crew are brought in to take this submarine to be decommissioned including the mysterious Bruni (Duchovny).  However, when rogue KGB agents take over the submarine to steal the nuclear payload, the Soviet and American Navy close in to find this boat before World War III is started.

Naturally, this is based on a true story!

First, this is no Red October.

However, it's not too bad.

Harris plays a tortured soul who is suffering through seizures, but still expertly commands the ship even under the most dire circumstances.

Fitchtner is a wonderful supporting actor who plays the 2nd in command perfectly. Naturally, his loyalty will be called into question when the ship is seized.

The true story that it is based on apparently has been classified for the better part of 50 years.

However, knowing how close the Cuban Missile Crisis was to starting World War III, imagine the stress that a rogue nuclear submarine would have been if it had become common knowledge?
 
Now available for streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once was sufficient for this one.

You Say You Want A (Musical) Revolution Weekend..."Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust-TheBridge To Russia"

Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust- The Bridge to Russia (2014)

Starring Billy Joel, Russia :)

Directed by Jim Brown

The Story:

In the summer of 1987, Billy Joel was the first western act to bring Rock & Roll to Russia  to tour behind the Iron Curtain.

Within 2 years, the Berlin Wall was knocked down.

Coincidence?

I think not.

Joel's six concerts in Moscow and Leningrad were filmed, and some footage was shown on HBO back in 87.

Now, a new special with additional footage and new interviews reflecting on that tour are shown, currently playing on Showtime.




It's a great time capsule of a time in transition, captured perfectly by Joel's energetic performance.

The songs are wonderful, and the atmosphere of the entire production is infectious.

This is what Americans felt when the Beatles came on Ed Sullivan.

That's pretty cool to witness in retrospect.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I wouldn't have any problem watching it again, always been a huge Billy Joel fan.