When growing up I regularly watched boxing matches. It always was an event when Mike Tyson or “Prince’ Naseem were fighting. Tyson was so explosive that you knew in advance that you were going to see a short match, but that it would be spectacular. Times have changed though and I haven’t followed the world of boxing anymore, which also meant that I didn’t know anything about boxer Manny Pacquiao, the subject of this documentary. Continue reading
If you’d make a list of the most famous people in sport chances would be that Muhammad Ali would end up in the top 3. This isn’t because of the fact that he is a three time heavyweight boxing champion, but mostly because he made a big impression on people outside of the ring. Het change his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali because of his religion. He refused to fight in Vietnam, which resulted in him losing out on a lot of money and a big part of his career, because he was not allowed to fight. Still, it is not a decision he has ever regretted. Many books have been written about him and this isn’t the first movie/documentary about this famous athlete. That means this documentary has to bring something new to the table and that’s what director Clare Lewins tries to do by focussing on the man behind the boxer and the people who surrounded him. Continue reading
Do you know the above athlete? He has been at the top of his sports for years and a lot of his competitors don’t consider themselves good until they are able to beat him. If I say you might recognise him from the Sylvester Stallone movie Over the Top where he had a cameo. His name is John Brzenk and he is a professional arm wrestler and together with two other arm wrestlers he stars in this documentary about the world of arm wrestling. Continue reading
At the age of 10 I really wanted to get a skateboard. I can’t remember having seen any skateboarding videos or pictures in magazines, but every time I went to the toy store I looked at it and knew I wanted to buy it. When I had finally saved enough money to be able to buy it I went to the toy store and got it. It was a wide, black board which had the head of an eagle in the middle. It had yellow wheels and I was happy to get it. As it turned out skateboarding wasn’t really my thing and I probably played with it for about a week and forgot about it. Turned out that roller skating was something I liked more and have done that for a long time (and still do occasionally). I never learned any tricks on that skateboard and the most skateboarding I’ve done was by playing Tony Hawk on the original Playstation. Dogtown and Z-Boys is a documentary about the evolution of skateboarding which has resulted in its current “extreme” state. This group of kids and teenagers didn’t stop practising and managed to start a revolution. Continue reading