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Reviews
Deuce (2008)
Interesting character, but there's more to the story
Caught some of this on the Documentary Channel the other day and realized I had run across this man before while doing some sports writing in Western Pa. I can say there is a general respect for the man in that region, but I also think there are a lot of people who view him with pity.
The same coaches that praise him on camera are no doubt secretly cursing him for taking up their precious time off camera. He claims to be in it for the kids, but it's really about attaching himself to their glories in an attempt to garner some sort of slight attention. This is a very lonely man who is stuck in a very naive state of mind.
The first time I met him (and the second, and third and fourth), he handed me a sports card with his picture, some stats (No. of games covered) and some sayings. I did not ask for this, but I noticed he referred to himself as a legend on the card. The numbers of games he claims to have covered are probably inflated. As far as keeping track of the game in front of him, I noticed that he would be too busy talking to others to keep accurate stats. Sure he has notebooks full of marks, but what good is it if they're not correct? There's probably a very good story surrounding him, but the film is too worried about keeping the "Deuce" myth in tact to really get to the root of his humanity.
Red State (2011)
Red State, indeed
When I saw the trailers for this film, I was intrigued at the subject matter it was taking on. Religious zealots run rampant in the countryside and their social tolerance regarding anything that might challenge their deeply held beliefs puts them in a position where they feel under siege. We know these heavily armed groups exist, but the cartoonish way they were presented in this film didn't strike any fear in me. I'd be much more interested in seeing a film about the regular guy who takes his church-going a little too seriously and loses control. But, hey that's me.
Anyway, this film has very little to do with our "religious" problem. It instead comes off like some sort of conformation of conspiracy nut theories about the moral corruption in the heart of government agencies. In other words, it's pretty much exactly what a lot of people in "red states" actually believe. And this is what is so offensive about it.
We're going through a time where government is smeared with decades-old propaganda myths as a way of giving more control to certain private interests. What we don't need is another popular piece of media telling us that there's some sort of official government policy which states that agents will automatically massacre a group of nutcases to make their job a whole lot easier.
I know there should some cynicism over where government is headed and I too have my own criticisms, but jumping to absurd conclusions only fuels the fire for more stupidity. You're better than this, Mr. Smith.
The Winning Season (2009)
Just a mess
You'd think a movie with that much acting clout would have some redeeming value, but this does not. First off, everything having to do with high school basketball is wrong on so many levels. In what era does this high school exist? Most schools across the country have well established girls basketball programs and have so for decades. This place seems like it's 30 years in the past for some reason and it's embarrassing and insulting to watch.
The writing is gawdawful throughout and there is some really terrible acting on display from some of the supporting cast (the coach's ex-wife and kid come to mind). Rooney Mara is stunningly terrible and this performance raises huge doubts as to whether she'll be able to pull off the much hyped Lisbeth Salander role.