Che Guevara’s name is well known, but the specifics of the man and his ideas are far less famous.
Category: Documentary Tuesday
The Day the Clown Cried is a classic film for all the wrong reasons.
Allen Iverson is a beloved, complicated figure. The poster child for the marriage of basketball and hip-hop, he was small, but played with a huge heart, won the 2001 NBA MVP, and did it all his way.
North America is gripped by a meth epidemic. The quality of the drug has skyrocketed and the cost has dropped, meaning that more and more people are getting their hands on stronger and stronger stuff. That’s a bad combination.
This documentary, narrated by Val Kilmer, looks at how the drug has affected so many Americans in so many places, skipping from Wyoming to New Mexico to a city I’ve spent quite a bit of time in, Portland.
Heimo Korth lives alone among 19 million acres of Alaskan wilderness.
Most people care little about art theft. Unless it’s the Mona Lisa or something equally as famous, very few people give much thought to what a painting being stolen means to us. However, as the film suggests, art is part of our culture and having it stolen is an assault on all of us.
In late 2003, after losing to the New York Yankees in the ALCS again, the Boston Red Sox decided they needed to do something to get over the hump. At the same time, the Texas Rangers were beginning to regret their $252 million deal with superstar shortstop Alex Rodriguez.
A-Rod had watched the ALCS and, after floundering on losing teams, decided he needed to be part of the rivalry. He met with Theo Epstein and agreed to take a pay cut so that he could join the Sox. The deal was in place. Then it was vetoed by the Players Union and, as we all know, Rodriguez wound up in the Bronx. That year, the Red Sox won four straight to win the ALCS and, ultimately, the World Series.
This 30 for 30 speaks to (almost) all of the participants and gives a riveting look into the backroom dealings and makes one wonder how different baseball would have been if the deal had been approved.
30 for 30 Short: The Deal – Alex Rodriguez to the Boston Red Sox
Previously in Documentary Tuesday:
Room 237 | Exit Through the Gift Shop | The Death of Superman Lives | 30 for 30: The Price of Gold | Paradise Lost
Christopher Pierznik is the author of eight books, all of which can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, and many more. He has been quoted on Buzzfeed and Deadspin. Subscribe to his monthly reading review newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
In 1993, three eight year old boys, best friends, from West Memphis, Arkansas were found murdered and hogtied. Although there was very little evidence (and several other more plausible suspects), three teenagers were arrested, charged, and ultimately convicted of the murders, which the prosecution claimed occurred as part of Satanic rituals.
Some of my favorite documentaries, particularly of recent years, came out of the ESPN 30 for 30 series. I’m going to do my best not to let this space become inundated with them.
However, some are just too good not to share and the one that follows the Nancy Kerrigan – Tanya Harding figure skating saga is brilliant on several levels, most of all Harding’s brutal honesty.
Previously in Documentary Tuesday:
Room 237 | Exit Through the Gift Shop | The Death of Superman Lives
Christopher Pierznik is the author of eight books, all of which can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, and many more. He has been quoted on Buzzfeed and Deadspin. Subscribe to his monthly reading review newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
In the mid-to-late ’90s, Warner Brothers began development of a revival of Superman. Kevin Smith even wrote a script for it before Tim Burton became attached and brought in his own writers. He immediately cast Nicholas Cage as Clark Kent and there are rumors that Jim Carrey was in talks to portray Brainiac.
The project never took off for a variety of reasons, a major one being the fact that Batman & Robin was so awful that Warner Brothers decided to remove itself from the entire comic superhero universe for a few years. So Joel Schumacher, who has made some great movies in his life, ruined not only Tim Burton’s Batman franchise but also his Superman franchise.
Still, this is a fascinating film about a film that was never made. Seeing Nicholas Cage with the giant S logo on his chest and listening to what they had planned makes one wonder how it all would have turned out.
Update: The film has been ripped off YouTube so here’s the trailer:
Previously in Documentary Tuesday:
Room 237 | Exit Through the Gift Shop
Christopher Pierznik is the author of eight books, all of which can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, and many more. He has been quoted on Buzzfeed and Deadspin. Subscribe to his monthly reading review newsletter or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 