'The Tillman Story'

One of the saddest events in sports history is well documented in "The Tillman Story."
The 2010 film retells the story of the government's manipulation of former pro football player Pat Tillman's death. After 9/11, Tillman decided to decline an NFL contract to sign up for the Army because he felt it was the right thing to do.
He died while serving in Afghanistan, the problem was the family was not able to find out the details of his death. The government saw his death as a way to promote the war. The Tillman family fought the government, even to the point to bring it in front of Congress.
The grueling battle that ensued created a fascinating story that only ends in tragedy.
Rating: A-
The most powerful sports documentary in recent memory.

Ole 'North Dallas Forty'

Loosely based on the 70s Cowboys, "North Dallas Forty" is an over-the-top portrayal of pro football.
The forgotten 1979 film starring Nick Nolte shows the toll football takes a player's body. The athletes play hard and party even harder in the football flick.
The film shows how players would use booze and meds to drown out the pain. It is the first movie to shed light on the subject, when the public didn't know in the 70s.
The movie is much like Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday," except there is less front office action and play isn't as vicious.
Rating: C+
It isn't very focused and not very well made. The movie touches any some interesting sports point, which keeps the viewers attention.

'Go Tiger!' is an Understatement

The high school football documentary "Go Tigers!" shows how people take high school sports too seriously. It documents the 1999 football season of the Massillon Washington High School Tigers.

It is crazy the lengths these people would do to win. All the captains on the team were held back so they could play football for one more year.
The film is similar to a real life "Varsity Blues" with less partying.

Football is treated as a religion in the Ohio town.The team is treated as Gods in the town even though they didn't win anything.

One of the most interesting aspects is the amount of the pressure these teenagers have. The whole has such high expectations for these kids, it's hard for anyone to live up to the hype.

Rating: B+
It has great insight into high school football fanatics.

'A Player to be Named Later' Matters

The 2005 documentary "A Player To Be Named Later" realistically shows the pressures of minor league baseball. The film follows four players through a season with the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
The diversity of the four players enhances the view point of the documentary. Marco Scutaro, a young Venezuelan player adapting to a foreign country;  Micah Franklin, a former major leaguer coming back from playing in Japan; Brad Tyler, a 32-year-old career minor leaguer who is still trying to fulfill his major league dream and Kyle Peterson, a former top prospect recovering from injuries.

The players were not the only aspect of the film. It is impressive to watch management try to construct the rosters with players moving up to the majors and back to the minors.
The documentary was filmed in 2001 but released in 2005. Manager of the Indians, Bruce Kimm became interim Cubs in 2002, he also caught for the Cubs in 1979 and the White Sox in 1980.
Rating: B-
The movie is pretty serious and depressing at times, it is a unique view of sports. A little bit of fun would have helped this film.

I like 'The Damned United'

The 2009 film "The Damned United" is the best soccer movie ever.
The movie retells the true story of Brian Clough's 44 day tenure with the famous English soccer club Leeds United. While the film follows Clough, it depicts all the ins and outs of English 'football.'


Clough came from a small team, when he made the jump to Leeds all hell breaks loose. Martin Sheen, "Frost/Nixon," carried the film as Clough, he was perfectly cast for this role. Clough tough yet fun personality is tough to portray but Sheen did it well.
The story has its ups and downs but it is directed perfectly by Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech." At every turn Hooper keeps the viewer in mind, he explains everything so non-soccer fans don't get lost.
Rating: A-
The great cast and story makes for a great movie for everyone.

'Baseball' Love

The epic 20 hour series "Baseball" by Ken Burns is a must-see documentary for die hard baseball fans.
It chronicles the story of baseball through 10 innings. The episodes are full of great forgotten baseball stories, such as Ty Cobb's feet first slides with the intention of kicking the player in the nuts or Tim Raines' head first slides so he wouldn't break his cocaine capsules in his back pocket.
Burn's has the best interviewees. He not only has players, coaches and journalists, he has fans from all walks of life.
The series is very long and boring at times, it is best to watch over a long period of time. It took nearly two months to watch the series.
The first inning is mostly introductory and discusses roots of baseball, which are unknown. If you're not interested in that part, go ahead and skip the inning, it is the worst episode by far. The tenth inning is the best.
Rating: B+
It is a lot of time to dedicate to a history series, but it is suppose to be a time capsule for the sport. It is very well done and detailed, baseball fans will enjoy it.

Chasing the 'Endless Summer'

If you seek adventure and travel to the unknown, you will love 1966's "The Endless Summer."
The documentary shows director Bruce Brown following two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, chasing the warm climate around the world to create an 'Endless Summer.'  The epic quest includes trips to Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii.

The film stands out more now because the world was much bigger back then. During their travels they encountered so many interesting cultures that never saw a surf board. They were surfing in places that were never surfed before. It's almost like they introduced surfing to the world and it's all on film.
The corny 60s narrator gets annoying but it is also part of the movie's charm.
Rating: A-
One of the best 60s documentary, it truly is a great portrayal of an era.

It's Just a Game

The 2009 documentary "More Than a Game" is a great reputation of LeBron James' need for a family.
The film follows James' high school national championship run at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School in 2003. The story shows that the journey to a championship is hard even if you have James, the best player in the nation. However, the struggle wasn't as hard as depicted, the team went 27-0.
The only times James was interesting in the documentary was when they discussed his off-the-court controversies.
One of the best aspects of the movie is the relationship between coach Dru Joyce and point guard Dru Joyce Jr. The father/son up and down relationship keeps the audience's attention.
Rating: C+
It's not that interesting, it is a long hour and a half movie. It could have been better as an one hour TV special.

The Rocket

The "Rocket" Richard biopic, "The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard," focuses too much on Richard's off-the-ice endeavors and the movie suffers.

The film follows the life of one of the best hockey players ever, but it portrays the Montreal Canadian as a bitter, frail man who kind of hates NHL hockey. The movie wasn't that bad just Richard wasn't an appealing character. It is good era picture that shows how rough hockey was played in the 50s.

Richard was constantly fighting through injuries and discrimination. His injuries get old quick, he is battling injuries the whole movie. It's just like watching your favorite players who are injury prone, it's frustrating. The discrimination factor was interesting, not many people talk about the NHL's distain for French-Canadians.
The film only shows three of his Richard's eight Stanley Cup victories, which was a huge mistake.
Rating: CThere isn't enough glory in this legend.