Benched is pitched (har, har) to audiences as the latest entry in the sports movie genre, but it almost ends up working more as a buddy comedy instead. The scenes of gameplay are present and they’re easy to get wrapped up in, but the drive behind those scenes – along with other elements in this charming story of winning and losing – is the love/hate dynamic between two little league coaches playing on the same…
Björn Borg, a mannered enigma, and John McEnroe, a hot head with a brash reputation, developed a public rivalry with each other based on their differences in athletic gameplay and sportsmanship. However, if you’re looking for a explanatory grasp on their relationship, you won’t find it in Borg vs. McEnroe. The film itself is adequate by biopic and sport movie standards – merely on its surface – but its focus is more targeted on individual arcs.
By: Nick van Dinther Every news station covered what happened to Nancy Kerrigan leading up to the 1994 Olympics, and the supposed involvement of Tonya Harding. So, how do you take a story that everyone knows and create something new out of it? Director Craig Gillespie excellently answers that question with I, Tonya, a movie about so much more than just “the incident”.
Most documentaries about legendary people are unsurprisingly structured since the subject’s history and reputation steer the film through its motions. Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton is no different, but I do admire how the film paces the impressive life of the surfer/entrepreneur/game changer.
You pick up on a lot of hints when you watch enough movies. In a screening of The Blind Side, I grasped my armrest and held my breath when two characters were happily singing while driving. I know when that happens, an accident is right around the corner and, sure enough, there was.
In case you don’t have the chance to catch Seve the Movie, here’s a rundown: characters interact with golfer Seve Ballesteros over both banal and important matters. Seve responds by expressing how much he loves golf, intercut with archive footage from pro golf tours he’ll later play in.
By: Addison Wylie Who would’ve expected one of the most important movies of the year to come swooping into theatres during the final weeks of 2013? Lucky Canadians are currently able to catch Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel at Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox – and I highly suggest they do. The documentary addresses a number of issues worth talking about, but it all begins with the stellar success of snowboarder Kevin Pearce. Pearce was garnering…
