Quad-rugby is a sport that has been around for just over a decade and while very intriguing, has gone largely unnoticed. You would think that feel good stories like this would be covered on the new magazine shows and especially ESPN, who love to have 10 minute “overcoming-the-odds” sports stories on Sunday night SportsCenter, but apparently not.

You would also think that the new documentary film covering this sport and its participants, Murderball, would be one of those transcending the genre documentaries (like Hoop Dreams, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Super Size Me), but nope. Mysteriously, it is going largely unseen in indy theaters nationwide and is being dropped left & right (In KC, the Tivoli, Glenwood Arts, and Screenland have all dropped it).

There were obviously many things to learn from this movie, first off, that being quadriplegic doesn’t mean you lost all movement from the neck down, just impaired to some degree. Another being that while paralysis is something most every person fears to death, there are people out there that excel at coping with their disability, and this is their story. One wouldn’t even turn back the clock and undo what has happened to him. During a Q&A at Sundance, Team USA captain Mark Zupan and Murderball central figure had this response… “No, I don’t think so. My injury has led me to opportunities and experiences and friendships I would never have had before. And it has taught me about myself. In some ways, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Many people think that paralysis would be the end of your life, and this movie points out that sometimes that can be brutally true, but it can also be the start of a new one.

While it is a sports movie, Murderball mostly covers everything about these athletes not related to the sport; their accidents/diseases that let to their situation, their jobs, their families, how they learned to cope with their injuries, and yes… even how they have sex.

So who are these guys? A KC Star movie critic said it best… “These guys don’t want your pity, they want your girlfriend.” Having known non-quad rugby players in the past, one thing is apparent to me… rugby players are an interesting breed. It’s even more apparent that rugby is more a mindset than simply a sport because these quad-rugby athletes are exactly the same guys I’ve known who play arguably the most brutal and macho sport on the planet, only in a wheelchair.

Think you can’t party hard, get drunk, talk shit, start fights, and get gorgeous women as a quadriplegic? Think again. These guys do it all, and on gameday, beat the crap out of each other with their $3,000 custom made wheelchairs. How have they managed to land their hot wives/girlfriends? First off, Zupan’s girlfriend claimed the wheelchair and the sport intrigues many women initially and then the motherly instinct kicks in. In contrast, one player bluntly put it this way… “The more pitiful you look, the easier it is to get laid.”

As I was leaving the theater, a girl behind me asked her husband what he thought, “I definitely shed a tear or two.” So I guess you can lump this in with Old Yeller and Brian’s Song as movies it is ok for guys to cry in.

So there you go… 4 Stars. Two thumbs up. Absolute must see. blah blah blah. Just go see the movie. Easily one of the best docs I’ve seen and really opens up your eyes to a whole new world, and from my experience, that marks the sign of a great documentary. Next up… The Grizzly Man.

On a side note… I saw this film at Screenland (17th & Washington) and it is awesome. Leather recliners, a great vintage film atmosphere, and not to far from my loft makes this one of my new favorite theaters in KC! Oh, and they also have a liquor license which makes it the first theater that I’ve been to that actually serves alcohol, which oddly enough was quite popular with the other matinee movie-goers today.

For further reviews… check out Maxim & Yahoo.

For Johnny Knoxville & Mark Zupan having a little fun on MTV’s Jackass, here ya go.

I must say, there was little point or purpose to the film except to take you into an average day of a High School, but it was filmed and depicted in a very artistic and poetic manner. Events and characters in this movie were not meant to be taken literally, but they were more representations which should be taken in a symbolic nature. The characters represented the stereotypes which you find at every high school. The scenes depicted the boredom, the insecurity, and the self-indulgence in high-schoolers lives. High school ended quite a while ago for me, but it is still fresh in my mind that I could easily finds parts of characters to relate to. It was also relieving to see high-schoolers actually play high schoolers, and high school not portrayed as a perfect little world of beautiful people as you commonly find in movies and TV now days.

This movie was needed becuase we don’t need a re-creation or a hollywood-esque movie with a dramatic 30 minute standoff and suicides at the end telling us what exactly happened that day at Columbine, or how to feel about the events that have happened at numerous other high schools. Van Sant rather exposes us to the banality of high school life, and the tragedy that can occur and let’s us make up our own mind and feelings about what is happening. I highly recommend this film, but be warned, it’s not for everyone. You’ll either love it or hate it. If you liked Almost Famous, you’ll like this. If you liked Armegeddon, you’ll hate it. If you liked Garden State, you’ll love this. If you thought Con Air, Coyote Ugly, or Dude Where’s My Car were good movies, you’ll hate this.

Wow… 3 posts in one day, new record.

It was amazing to see how quickly “the next big thing” to hit Hollywood can crash back down to earth. He had, what appeared to be sure-fire success as he landed a movie deal with Miramax and a record deal with Maverick at the same time. He was convinced he was going to be the biggest thing ever in that town and stated multiple times that no one has ever done what he was about to do in the history of Hollywood. But, he let his ego become the largest in Hollywood (which is quite an accomplishment), and pissed it all away.

How does one blow guaranteed success like that? Easy, make enemies with the most powerful man in Hollywood (Harvey Weinstein, Miramax Chairman), call one of his executives the C word who ended up being a very powerful woman in Hollywood, piss off your band-mates, screw over your friends, get yourself blacklisted, and ultimately sign a crappy movie deal. He told his crew (about 7 longtime friends) that if they played their cards right, they were looking towards at least “20 years of success in the industry” and it turns out they didn’t even have one. He thought there would be a bidding war at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his movie. “In my opinion, this film will go big at the box office. Real Big. It’s one of the best independent films there ever was, and I am one of the best, and will be the best.” Turns out blacklisting yourself from the industry killed those chances.

My favorite part was when he was speaking to a film theory college course and managed to insult half the classroom by pointing out individuals who he felt weren’t going to succeed and calling others assholes for paying him compliments (which he was too stupid to realize).

Definitely worth checking out. It can really remind you how important staying humble is if given the chance at big time success. It is also a very interesting look at the insides of Hollywood.

The movie ended with the perfect quote…
“No man is really changed by success. What happens is that success works on the man’s personality like a truth drug, bringing him out of the closet and revealing… what was always inside his head.” – Author, Albert Goldman

Over the past week, I had the pleasure of seeing two documentaries exposing two cultures in American society rarely seen up close, Born Rich and Devil’s Playground.

Produced by 21 year old Jamie Johnson of the Johnson & Johnson family, Born Rich was a look into the lives of himself and his peers, a handful of the heirs and heiresses of Americas wealth. By watching, it’s clear that Johnson doesn’t have much experience making films, but that didn’t detract from the film and the courage it took for a kid of his background to make a film solely about the wealth of his peers. In their culture, Jamie’s dad says that money is a taboo subject to be discussed publicly and reiterates over and over that he is not comfortable with his son making a film of this nature. The family lawyer also recommends he not make this film as well. But still… he rounds up a dozen or so of the nations wealthiest youth and grills them on a variety of questions ranging from their aspirations in life to their fears of being cut out of their inheritance.

Only a few come out showing some redeeming qualities (Ivanka Trump being one of them). But there were a few others who fit the stereotype of rich, pompous, and whiny. Not surprising Luke Weil tried (unsuccessfully) to sue Johnson to block the release of this film. Maybe if he hadn’t gloated about his money and said things like… “Fuck you. I’m from New York… My family could buy your family. Piss off.” or talking about only helping beggars just to get them away, he might not have worried about the film being released. The security of being rich is of course attractive, but some of these kids showcase the fact that when you know nothing but money, you are completely oblivious to reality.

On the completely other-side of the cultural spectrum, Devil’s Playground is a look into the Amish lifestyle in America, specifically, the teenagers experience during “Rumspringa.” In brief, the Amish believe that you shouldn’t be born into religion or have it forced on you, rather you should decide to accept it yourself. When an Amish teen turns 16, he/she is free to do whatever they choose, they are free from the confines of a strict Amish lifestyle. Now picture yourself, 15 years old, living in rural Indiana, never having any of the things we take for granted in our busy (sub)urban lives, and boom… you turn 16, free to do whatever you want. Free to experience all the temptations of drugs, alcohol, sex, etc… You might not think it would be easy to find drugs in an Amish community, but this film follows Faron, an 18 year old drug dealer/meth addict struggling in his decision to commit to the church. Basically, the night you turn 16, you have a party and drinks are pushed on you until you puke (not too different from the average 21 year old’s birthday). Because Amish children typically only attend school until 8th grade, at 16, you are living with you parents, with no real responsibilities (unless you work), so them being unleashed and thrown into the world is just like when a home-schooled kid goes off to college. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.

The revelation that stuck me from watching these two films is that they really show happiness is only a state of mind and money has nothing to do with it. Both groups, one being poor and having very little material wealth, and the other, being rich and having everything they want, have roughly the same amount of people who are genuinly happy and satisfied with their lives, and those who are miserable, lost, and confused.