This week in sports film news: John Corry, a 1984 Florida State graduate and filmmaker in Los Angeles, is producing a documentary on coach Bobby Bowden’s life and career at Florida State University. Interestingly, I was attending Florida State while Corry was in his senior year. Corry interviewed current and former coaches and players, and others associated with Bowden during his 34-year career at FSU.
Okay, I admit that when I first saw the trailer for the sports film ‘Eddie the Eagle,’ I thought it was one of those cheesy comedies that starred someone like Zach Galifianakis or Will Ferrell. By the end of the trailer, I thought it looked pretty good actually. I can’t wait for it to come out (in only two weeks). If you haven’t heard of ‘Eddie the Eagle,’ it’s based on the true story of Michael Edwards, a British skier and the first to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. It’s an underdog story and it’s getting really good reviews so far.
The sports film stars Taron Egerton as Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, as well as Hugh Jackman and Christopher Walken. It premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and will be released on February 26, 2016, by 20th Century Fox in the United States. If you’re in the United Kingdom, it is scheduled to be released in April.
In an interview with Edwards, Guardian reported, “Edwards says that he has been told that “only 10 to 15%” of the film, entitled Eddie the Eagle and directed by Sunshine on Leith’s Dexter Fletcher, is “based on my life.” Yes, there’s Hollywood’s poetic license here, but it’s still that inspirational movie of the boy who doesn’t get picked for the team and who goes on to fail and ultimately rise again.
Over the next two weeks, I will also have the reviews of two brand new wrestling documentaries. First, ‘At What Cost?: Anatomy of Professional Wrestling,’ which stars former professional wrestlers Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Diamond Dallas Page, Brian “Spanky” Kendrick, Paul London and Jerry Lynn. I’ll also have an interview with its director Mark Chervinsky.
‘At What Cost?: An Anatomy of Professional Wresting’ is a 95-minute documentary that explores the nation’s obsession with professional wrestling, from the champions of WWE to the independent warriors, and the fans that worship these testosterone-fueled, cartoon- like characters.
Wrestlers weave first-person accounts of personal triumph in the film alongside the dark side of the sport: injury, addiction and the disturbing phenomena of wrestlers dying before their 40th birthdays. The film also tells the tales of men, young and old, who are trying to make it big by risking life and limb in small-town wrestling matches across the nation, and the family men with day jobs who spend their weekends clad in Spandex, chasing glory in the ring.
Director / Producer Mark Chervinsky lives in Los Angeles and works as an editor on reality television shows such as “The Biggest Loser,” “The Apprentice” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” His inspiration for the film came from working on shows such as MTV’s“Wrestling Society X” and “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling” for CMT. Chervinsky’s last film, a documentary about a tiki artist called “The Sophisticated Misfit,” premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where he won the Maverick Filmmaker Award.
Next, I’m watching Nine Legends, which features interviews with Bill Goldberg, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Dynamite Kid, Amy Dumas, Rob Van Dam, Ted Dibiase, Randy Couture, and more, each talking about the sport of wrestling, and what it means to them and all of their fans. The film is set in the year 2050, when a young boy (who is seen playing with his wrestling buddies at the beginning of the film) isn’t very excited about spending the night at this grandfather’s house. Once his grandfather tells him that he spent time interviewing some of the biggest wrestling stars of all time, the kid takes notice and the film takes us from interview to interview.
I love documentaries that show behind-the-scenes interviews and how things are made, etc., so I’m anxious to finish these and get the reviews and interviews to you. In the meantime, here are two other wrestling documentaries you can watch this week:
WWE: For All Mankind: The Life and Career of Mick Foley. The first documentary on the life and career of hardcore legend Mick Foley. Filled with inside commentary on his most brutal matches, career struggles and multi-character evolution. Includes bonus matches and legendary moments from throughout his career. Gotta love Mick (BTW, follow him on Twitter — @RealMickFoley)
Rise and Fall of ECW (2004): If you don’t understand the connection of the Dudley Boys and the “Get the Tables” chants each week, perhaps you should give this documentary a watch as it explains the history of extreme championship wrestling. If you don’t gasp during this flick, check your pulse.
