Philadunkia Review: No Crossover: The Trial Of Allen Iverson
As part of ESPNs 30 For 30 documentary series which celebrates the 30th Anniversary of ESPN, director Steve James was given the opportunity to tell yet another story of life and basketball. James first film Hoop Dreams is considered to be one of the greatest sports documentaries of all time. As you may recall, Hoops Dreams is the gripping story of William Gates and Arthur Agee who follow their dream to become an NBA player through their inner-city struggles. ESPNsNo Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson is yet another documentary by Steve James that captivates an audience while also bringing to light a racial issue that made worldwide news in 1993.
In the early 1990s, Allen Iverson was atop the high school sports platform. He stood out on both the football field and basketball court for Bethel High School, leading them to state championships in each sport. On February 14th, 1993 however a terrifying incident changed Allens life and he may never have recovered. Allen was involved in an altercation with white teenagers at a bowling alley in Hampton, Virginia where he allegedly hit a woman with a chair leaving her bleeding on the floor. The incident created a rise in racial tension throughout the Virginia Peninsula, and even 17 years after the trial, there is still a racial divide that separates the area.
I went to the Philadelphia premiere of the documentary at the Prince Music Theater Sunday night
and was pleasantly surprised with the film. From watching the documentary, it seemed to me that James was trying to open a door that was best left shut to the people of Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. Producer Emily Hart answered questions after the screening and had this to say about the interview process, It was frustrating. There were plenty of unanswered phone-calls, said Hart. There were parts of the story that we certainly wouldve liked to have heard, but in some ways it spoke volumes about the situation back in 1993 and how far weve come or havent come with either the fact that people didnt want to revisit it or that they were really afraid that it would effect their names now or their jobs.
One of those people choosing not to revisit the events of February 14th, 1993 was Allen Iverson. From what Hart knows, she doesnt even think Iverson has watched the documentary yet. To me this just adds to the Iverson mystery and to the documentary overall. Throughout the documentary the picture of Iverson is painted by the people who knew him and taught him. His old AAU coach Boo Williams, his former neighbors in Hampton, his former attorney, and many journalists from around the area. There is also a lot of footage of Iverson throughout the movie that many people may not have seen before. Without as many interviews as he would have liked, James displays a brave documentary that will make you think about life and equality. This is as much a documentary about hope asit is a documentary on Iverson. It is a hope that one day class and race differences will cease and work together for a better cause.
We had weekend screenings in the Hampton area where Iverson is from and the reactions were very positive, said Hart. There were interesting discussions after the film which focused mainly on what people can do as a community to change the current state of things and not necessarily on the trial back in 1993.
For the citizens in Hampton, this movie is a wake up call. Instead of pulling the area apart, this movie should be the first step to bring people together. Sports are one medium that was always present in the life of Steve James and one that is present in the lives of most citizens in Hampton. Jamess hope is that this small effort will change the larger picture for not only Hampton, but the citizens of the United States who experience the same struggle.
Overall I would rate the documentary an A-. Its not James fault the documentary didnt score higher with me, but I felt with more interviews from the likes of Allen Iverson, Ann Iverson, John Thompson, or whites who were involved in the bowling alley incident, this documentary could have been that much better. I applaud the effort which James gave to the issue, and ESPN should be very proudof the finished product. I would recommend any sports fan / Iverson fan take the time to go see this movie or watch on TV. The documentary will air on ESPN at 8 PM tonight.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 and is filed under Uncategorized.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site.
Amy Mickelson Michael Jordan Affair Photo
Amy Mickelson Michael Jordan Affair Photo, Rumors are flying all over the internet tonight, on the heels of Mickelson winning the Masters, that his private life could very well prove to be just as salacious as that of his primary rival, the disgraced Tiger Woods. This is not the first time that rumors over the Mickelsons private life have surfaced.
In past years, it has been speculated that Mickelson had a love child with a stripper in Ohio, that his wife Amy had an affair with basketball legend Michael Jordan, and that Sports Illustrated was set to run an explosive story on them but were threatened with pulled advertising.
Sadly, Amy Mickelson is battling breast cancer. If the story is true, and many believe at least parts of it are, the mainstream media may tread cautiously out of a sense of decency for the Mickelsons, and, lets face it, out of a sense of fear of backlash if mainstream outlets are seen as raising embarrassing subjects concerning a sick woman.
The initial reaction of many, of course, would be that the Mickelsons personal lives are nobodys business. And while on some level that is true, we have all seen the reality of the world today when it comes to big time professional athletes. Tiger Woods personal life has been dissected and inspected down to every conceivable detail after it came out that Woods public persona was at odds with the realities of his personal conduct.
In some ways, these rumors concerning Phil Mickelson might prove to be even more shocking. While Tiger Woods had what many thought was a squeaky clean lifestyle and character before his scandal broke, he was not universally loved. His conduct on the golf course, for example, often brought him scorn. He was seen as cold and distant in many ways and aloof from his fans and other golfers.
Mickelson, on the other hand, projects an everyman type of image and flashes his big smile while waving to golf galleries and taking risks on the course that make him the opposite of the more corporate (or formerly more corporate) Tiger Woods. www.bollywood91.com
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John Gotti Jr. is ready to turn his life story into a movie a documentary and a memoir Deadline reports. was when he was made or formally inducted into the life of crime an event he says must have made his father convicted mafia boss John Gotti feel like his son was named to the.
In his first interview since leaving prison John Gotti says that he decided that I got to try to end this for his wife and kids. who escaped prison after mistrials were declared in four straight trials in New York is off to make some doe the legitimate way. for a documentary feature film and book. RETRIAL EXCLUSIVE In what could turn into a genuine Sopranoslike look at growing up in an organized crime family mob scion John Gotti Jr. is ready to tell his story in a documentary film a feature film and a book. Mobster John Gotti Jr.
CBS enduring 60 Minutes serves up two vastly different subjects this weekend a mob clan and a scientific family.
Tickle The Wire Tapping Into The Latest News In Federal Law Enforcement. John Junior Gotti son of the late mob boss does a bit of trash talking in an upcoming 60 Minutes interview blasting one of the governments key witnesses against him in his most recent trial old mob crony John. took over the family business as.
Former Gambino crime family head John Gotti Jr. tells 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft in his first extended television interview theres little doubt in his mind that his father had a hand in the disappearance of a motorist who accidently hit and killed. is about to break the cardinal mob rule of keeping quiet by spilling details about his life with his famous mob father John Gotti Sr. talks to Steve Kroft.
John Angelo Gotti III or Junior Gotti (born February 14, 1964) is a New York City mobster who during much of the 1990s led the Gambino crime family of Cosa Nostra for his imprisoned father John J. Gotti, who died in 2002. Between 2004 and 2009 Gotti has been a defendant in four racketeering trials, all ending in mistrials. After four trials, and five years of work, the federal government announced, in January of 2010, that it would no longer seek to prosecute Gotti for those charges. He is also referred to as Teflon Jr for evading prosecution like his father.
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In Case You Didn’t Know Blog Archive Kenny Chesney Livin’ La.
Kenny Chesney may have taken the year off from touring, but that doesnt mean he has been staying home, either.
The country superstar spent several weeks this winter in L.A. editing his new concert film Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D, which hits theaters April 21, and managed to squeeze in his first-ever Italian vacation.
We went to Capri, Positano and a little town called Ravello, Chesney says. I ate a lot of bread, drank a lot of wine and ate some really good cheese. And it was great. Its somewhere Ive wanted to go my whole life, but I never afforded myself the time to do things like that. Now its one of my favorite places in the world.
Though taking the time off was the hardest decision Ive ever made, Chesney says, Im so glad I made it. I havent felt this content in a long time.
The drive that had made the singer the biggest North American ticket seller of the past decade had also taken a toll on his personal life. Someone said You sure do give a lot of your life to this and I said, No, this IS my life. Theres no room for anything else. And thats gotta change.
Step one has been spending more time with the people closest to him. Ive been getting reacquainted with people who you shouldnt have to get reacquainted with: my family, he says.
Chesney, 42, is also opening himself up to romance. If I want a relationship, I have to give to it too.
Not that the singer is racing down the aisle. Although he has been dating Nashville nurse Amy Colley since 2008, its not like Im taking a year off so I can get married again, he says. Cause that could or couldnt happen.But I want to put myself in a position to do it if it did happen. I want to put myself in a position to have a relationship in my life.
He also has more travel on the horizon. I want to go to places Ive never been, he says. China? The Pyramids?
Who knows? I want to go explore, Chesney says. I want to taste everything. I want to take a big spoon, dip it in and taste it all.
Source, Fame Pictures
This entry was postedon Friday, April 9th, 2010 at 3:15 pmand is filed under Kenny Chesney.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
