Directed by Dexter Fletcher
Written by Sean MacCaulay and Simon Kelton
Starring Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jo Hartley and Keith Allen
"Eddie the Eagle" is your typical underdog story. A less experienced, less talented athlete going up against the big dogs in competition. But unlike many films in its genre, this is a true story.
A man, who grew up wearing a leg brace for most of his childhood, is determined to beat the odds and become an Olympic athlete. Much to the likeness of the Jamaican Bobsled team, which also competed during the '88 Olympics in Calgary, he did so with little expectations but was more than happy to attend.
The story itself isn't much to write home about, as heart warming as it is. But the performances in this film, specifically by Taron Egerton, are extraordinary and bring this whole film together.
Honestly guys, I saw this on Thursday and completely forgot to write a review for it… so this one is not that informative…. It was good though. That's all you really want to hear anyway, right?
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
Written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse
Starring Stephen James, Jason Sedeikis, Shanice Banton and Jeremy Irons
With a not-so-subtle double meaning in the title, "Race" tells the story of Jesse Owens and his journey to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin as he faced racial adversity and pressure from his community to put his dreams to the side and boycott the Olympics under Hitler's regime.
Upon entering the theatre, I knew for sure I would be in for an inspiring movie about the great Olympian's life. We all know the story of Jesse Owens. It is one of the greatest sports moments in the history of not just America, but the entire World. It's very safe to say most people who go in to this movie know what they're getting into.
There isn't much about this film that makes it different from any other sports or civil rights movement film. It follows the same formula that all of those great movies do. The acting is decent, but nothing spectacular. And the same can be said about everything else in this film. What it does do is bring up the conversation that so many people avoid. And that is racial equality, or lack there of.
While Germany in 1936 was in no doubt a much worse state than the U.S., at least as far as racial inequality goes, the parallels the film made between the two countries really show the problems America ignored for so long. And while things have certainly gotten better, this film shows that the word "better" does not mean "fixed".
The one aspect of the film I did not expect, or even know about was the German citizens who accepted and supported Jesse Owens. Of course they were few and far between, but it gave insight into the German political tyranny that some of them saw, but feared for their lives if they spoke up. It showed how the mix of German citizens really was, rather than the archetypal "good German".
The film was decent and had great pacing and running sequences. It did a wonderful job at building tension even in scenes in which I knew the outcome. But overall, it's a movie that will most likely be forgotten with the exception of the random mentions brought up in discussions about it's subject.
Written and Directed by Gabe Polsky
Featuring Viacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Kastonov, Anatoli Karpov and Vladislav Tretiak
The story of the Soviet Union's famed Red Army Hockey team through the eyes of it's players.
An eye opening and personal look behind the Iron Curtain from the unlikeliest of political influences. The Red Army hockey club was once the best hockey club in the world (Although they couldn't beat the Broad Street Bullies! GO FLYERS!). I knew that this was gonna be a great hockey documentary. But I didn't expect the intimate details of what it was like being a hero to your countries citizens and a prisoner to their government.
Gabe Polsky developed a brilliant take on the infamous team. Interviewing key members of their many medals and championships, he breaks down their lives starting from the front of being a soldier on a hockey team and digging little by little into their tightly controlled lives.
Through interviews, Polsky gets the aging athletes to not only discuss life in the Soviet Union, but to also show the emotional impact it had. The pride, fear, loathing and love and all other complex feelings about their homeland came pouring out. It helped me to understand a sense of pride for such a tyrannical system, even in the slightest regard.
On top of all that, it showed how the same game could be played in two completely different ways just by being divided by oceans and a military standoff. The grace in finesse of the Russians was overpowering to the brutal way of the Canadians and Americans (even though brutality is what makes hockey interesting).
An informative and touching documentary on the world's greatest game, this is a movie for all hockey fans.
