Every Monday morning, InsidePulse Movies Czar Scott “Kubryk” Sawitz brings an irreverent and oftentimes hilarious look at pop culture, politics, sports and whatever else comes to mind. And sometimes he writes about movies.
With nothing really of note to comment on, well at least that hasn’t been said already and said better, this week, I’m devoting this week’s column to one of the great films of our in this week’s A Movie A Week – The Challenge. This Week’s DVD to view: Hoop Dreams
Yeah it’s the book, not the film … but the book just looks so much cooler.
When it comes to films that got completely screwed over when it comes to Oscars, the most egregious of them is Hoop Dreams. One of the best films of 1994, a year with Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption losing out for an Oscar to Forrest Gump, was also my pick as the best film of the 1990s way back when. This came out when I was barely old enough to drive and then I could see the absolute brilliance in Steve James’ documentary.
The film follows two teenagers, William Gates and Arthur Agee, on their quest through high school. Two talented prospects in the city of Chicago at the time, they both enroll in St. Joseph’s which at the time was a hoops powerhouse in local suburb Westchester. They were recruited to go there back when it was more about the education, at least on a surface level, as opposed to merely recruiting talent that’ll go on to college and then professional careers as a sort of teenaged labor force.
Nothing’s really changed since then but now it’s just more overt. Back then there was a sort of innocence to it, as if people were being given something in exchange for continuing to engage in something they apparently liked to do and did well enough to merit consideration from a school like St. Joseph’s. It’s not a basketball powerhouse like it was then, now being more noteworthy for being Isaiah Thomas’s high school more than anything else. But back then getting financial aid from a great high school like St. Joseph’s to play in a first rate program meant something. That’s what these kids are getting into and James follows them throughout their high school careers as they experience ups, and downs, as they go from 14 year old kids to 18 year olds ready to take on the world. Both kids wind up on different paths, mainly because of how they handle the pressure of needing to take the step from being the best on the playground to being the best, period.
It’s a brilliant piece with a methodical, slow pace. Documentaries normally don’t last longer than 90 minutes for a reason; most times there isn’t enough of a good story to go past that point. Hoop Dreams is three hours or so and for a good reason; Steve James has enough story and isn’t going to compromise by making this short for sake of time constraints. He has a story to tell in long form, as he spent years working on this, and he tells it wonderfully. We get to meet Gates and Agee as children, basically, and see them grow up over the years. As we see them struggle and succeed both on and off the court we see them turn into adults. It’s a fascinating voyage.
How do you know a film was screwed over for an Oscar? When the Academy changes the rules because everyone acknowledges a film got screwed. The Academy voters for Best Documentary changed how future generations could vote in this category because of the backlash of this film’s exclusion from the final Oscar ballot.
How do you know a documentary is brilliant? Because you’ll sit down and spend an afternoon watching it without thinking you wasted that amount of time.
Strongest recommendation possible.
What Looks Good This Weekend, and I Don’t Mean the $2 Pints of Bass Ale and community college co-eds with low standards at the Alumni Club
The Hangover Part 2 – The guys go to Thailand and experience shenanigans again.
See It – If this film is just the original, just in Bangkok, it won’t be all bad as The Hangover was really funny. I’m curious in which direction they take it.
Kung Fu Panda 2 – Jack Black and his kung fu animal pals return to fight or something.
Skip It – The first one was solid but not brilliant. Anything that isn’t Pixar related goes downhill quickly from where it started when it comes to sequels as a rule. Shrek went from brilliance to mediocre quickly and that’s about as good as it gets when it comes to animated franchises.
The Tree of Life – Sean Penn contemplates his life, and the universe, after a rough childhood of Brad Pitt kicking his scrawny ass. In limited release.
Skip It – It looks like pretentious art house crap.
Do you have questions about movies, life, love, or Branigan’s Law? Shoot me an e-mail at Kubryk@Insidepulse.com and you could be featured in the next “Monday Morning Critic.” Include your name and hometown to improve your odds.
Scott “Kubryk” Sawitz brings his trademarked irreverence and offensive hilarity to Twitter in 140 characters or less. Follow him @MMCritic_Kubryk.
