30 for 30 complaint

Verse, you mentioned you liked the stuff with Herren's wife. That's exactly what I loved.

Here's what made the film crazy-good for me: the footage. I felt like I was inside an addiction. And I kept thinking I'd, I mean he'd, hit rock bottom. I can honestly say, if Herren were black, it would be the same experience. Yes, it's been told. Done before. But so intimately?

I thought Marinovich was good, but for me, this one was chilling.

 

Just finished Untouched. Pretty strong.

 

Untouched? Is that the story of The Second Mile child who got away?

 

Xan, which one did you like better, the one on Marinovich or the one on Herren?

 

Pound for pound, Marinovich. But I related to the Herren one pretty strongly too.

 

Ok... here's the question, Xan. It's been awhile since I've seen the Marinovich and Herren docs.... And both films prompted me to go online and read lots more about both guys... So I can't remember exactly how I got this impression......

But regarding recovery......

I feel like Herren is very strict about his, doesn't drink, strictly adheres to the 12-step program, etc. And I got the impression Marinovich..... Loosey-goosey is too strong of word.... But I feel like Marinovich just doesn't view recovery the same way Herren does.

Agree or disagree?... And your thoughts?

 

Possibly because I had a five-year old and a three-year old scrambling around, fighting with each other when I watched it, but I didn't think The Two Escobars was all that special. I guess after reading Killing Pablo and The Cocaine Kings there was just too much information I already knew.

 

I think both guys want a lasting recovery but they just go about it differently. Herren's sense of accomplishment is collecting those AA coins (or tokens) to make him feel like he's winning that war, while Todd's sobriety currency comes in the form of a renewed relationship with Marv -- through art. That means the world to him.

Todd's just a sweet-natured surfer boy from SoCal. That's just how we beach boys: laid-back.

But don't mistake laid back for nonchalance.

 

I see. Well God bless them both. And you as well, Xan.

 

Todd Marinovich is a smug douchebag. And the Sports Illustrated profile on him had as many inaccuracies as Pete Thamel's profile of Manti Te'o.

 

I've enjoyed going through a lot of the 30 for 30 films on Netflix instant, but really thought "June 17" was weak. No insights, no angle, just a bunch of news footage from a single day without any unifying theme beyond the idea that there was a ton of stuff going on.

 

Depends on your taste. Some people like cinema-verite, others don't.

Wasn't part of the 30 for 30 series, but probably the best sports doc I've seen in recent years was "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29," which is also told in minimalist fashion. You only hear from the players, and Boston Channel 5's Don Gillis on the original play by play - no narration (save for a few white on black slides), no coaches, no other alums, no media, no historians. Outstanding storytelling - the players don't really talk about the game itself until the second quarter. You get to meet Dubya's roommate (director Kevin Rafferty is a Bush cousin), Meryl Streep's boyfriend (one of the goats of the game for Yale), Brian Dowling (who looks more like a high school math teacher than the inspiration for Doonesbury's BD), and players on both sides of the Vietnam War. Then there is the story Tommy Lee Jones tells about even more famous roommate's fascination with a push-button phone (the punchline of which is the only music in the film, over the closing credits).