DVD Review: ESPN Films “30 for 30″ Gift Set, Volume 2
On the 30th anniversary of ESPN’s world=changing entry into the world, they commissioned numerous filmmakers and gave them complete creative control to film 30 documentaries covering the 30 most interesting topics during the ESPN era. Vol. 1 of this series was released earlier this year and featured some of 2010’s most critically acclaimed sports documentaries and featured documentaries made my some notable names. Directors like Peter Berg (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS), Barry Levinson (THE NATURAL) and even Ice Cube (THE LONGSHOTS) recounted some of the most memorable moments of the ESPN era of sports with documentaries featuring stories about Wayne Gretzky, the Baltimore Colts and fan base of the Los Angeles Raiders.
Volume 2 continues this great tradition with films covering topics like the legacy of George Steinbrenner, Michael Jordan’s days as a minor league baseball player, and the rise and fall of the iconic Olympic superstar Marion Jones. Volume 2 features some great directorial names like Spike Jonze (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE) and John Singleton (HIGHER LEARNING).
This set features some of the best documentaries you’ll see this year, filled with stories that truly illustrate how easily the sports figures, that sometimes seem immortal and impervious to strife, are effected by life just as easily as we are. If you love sports, you owe it to yourself to pick up this box set, if you love documentaries, you owe it to yourself to pick up this box set.
The official list of films and special features included on this set are as follows (from ESPN Media Zone):
ESPN Films 30 for 30 – VOLUME 2 Product Information Detail
DVD Release Date: May 17, 2011
Number of Discs: 6
Total Run Time: 1153 minutes
Volume 2 - Title Specific Information
THE TWO ESCOBARS (Disc 1)
Synopsis
From award-winning Director Jeff Zimbalist & Michael Zimbalist comes a “gripping human drama” (Huffington Post) about the intersection of crime, sports and nationalism in 1990’s Columbia. An official selection at the Cannes, Tribeca and Los Angeles Film Festivals.
TV Rating: TV 14 / V
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Deleted ScenesTHE BIRTH OF BIG AIR
Synopsis
Mat Hoffman is a BMX legend...10-time World Champion and X Games icon, he has a medical hit list that includes dozens of broken bones, concussions, and multiple comas. Some assume Hoffman has a death wish. But actually, it’s a life wish: to find out what’s possible on a BMX bike. Join director Jeff Tremaine and producers Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville as they share the incredible story of what happens when you combine big dreams and tons of plywood.
TV Rating: TV 14 / L V
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002 BMX Vert Finals
PremiereJORDAN RIDES THE BUS
Synopsis
After leading the Dream Team to Olympic Gold and taking the Chicago Bulls to their third consecutive NBA championship, Michael Jordan walked away from the game of basketball. Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, Tin Cup) shares this surprisingly touching story about the motivations that drove the world’s most famous athlete to play a new sport in the relative obscurity of Birmingham, Alabama.
TV Rating: TV PG
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Extended InterviewsLITTLE BIG MEN
Synopsis
When Kirkland, Washington's Little League team shut out Taiwan in the 1982 championship game, ABC’s Jim McKay called it “the biggest upset in the history of Little League." Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Al Szymanski and Peter Franchella explore what became of a group of childhood teammates when the high point in their athletic lives occurred before their lives had really begun.
TV Rating: TV G
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Deleted Scenes
Extended InterviewONE NIGHT IN VEGAS
Synopsis
Part documentary, part graphic novel, director Reggie Rock Bythewood explores the remarkable friendship between boxing legend Mike Tyson and one of hip-hop's greatest rappers, Tupac Shakur, culminating in the infamous night when Tupac was brutally killed.
TV Rating: TV MA
Bonus Features:
Tyson/Seldon Press Conference
Tyson/Seldon Pre & Post Fight CoverageUNMATCHED
Synopsis
No individual sports rivalry can boast the intensity and impact of the one between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. But even more remarkable is what happened off the court, as they formed a strong and lasting friendship, bonding them to this day. Filmmakers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Winters, along with producer Hannah Storm, provide a personal look into one of sports’ greatest rivalries.
TV Rating: TV G
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Deleted Scenes
Extended Interviews
Photo Stills Slide ShowTHE HOUSE OF STEINBRENNER
Synopsis
Two-time Oscar winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple documents an historic transition for the team, the family and its fans -- from the final day at the old Yankee Stadium, to the opening of the new Stadium, and from passage of the George Steinbrenner era to the Hal Steinbrenner era, all of which was magnificently capped off with the Yankees’ 27th World Championship.
TV Rating: TV PG
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Extended Interviews
Spring TrainingINTO THE WIND
Synopsis
Three years after having his right leg amputated above the knee, Terry Fox set out to raise funds for cancer research by running a marathon’s distance each day across Canada. In 143 days, he covered 3,339 miles, steadily capturing the heart of a nation with his marathon of hope and inspiring millions. Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash and Ezra Holland share Fox’s incredible story of perseverance and hope.
TV Rating: TV PG
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Featurettes
Extended InterviewsFOUR DAYS IN OCTOBER
Synopsis
When the night of October 16, 2004 came to a merciful end, the Curse of the Bambino was alive and well as the New York Yankees extended their ALCS lead to three games to none over the Boston Red Sox. But the cold October winds of change began to blow. Over four consecutive days and nights, this determined Red Sox team miraculously won four straight games to overcome the inevitability of their destiny.
TV Rating: TV 14 / L
Bonus Features:
Director's Statement
Extended Interviews
Bill & Lenny Extras
"As It Happened"ONCE BROTHERS
Synopsis
Close friends and teammates, Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac grew up sharing the common bond of basketball. But when war broke out between Petrovic’s Croatia and Divac’s Serbia, long buried ethnic tensions surfaced. Narrated by Vlade Divac, Once Brothers tells their gripping tale and how circumstances beyond their control tore their friendship apart.
TV Rating: TV PG
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Deleted Scenes
TrailerTIM RICHMOND TO THE LIMIT
Synopsis
Tim Richmond lived too fast, partied too hard and died too young. One of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers of all time, his unexpected withdrawal from racing kindled rumors about health and potential drug use. In reality, Richmond had been diagnosed with AIDS. Director Rory Karpf presents a glimpse inside the little known story of one of NASCAR’s shooting stars.
TV Rating: TV 14 D /L
Bonus Features
Director's Statements
Deleted Scenes
Tim Richmond Features
Tim Richmond InterviewsFERNANDO NATION
Synopsis
20-year-old Fernando Valenzuela was one of the most captivating pitching phenoms baseball has ever seen. Virtually overnight, he became a hero to millions of Latinos. Director Cruz Angeles relives Valenzuela’s impact on the Los Angeles Mexican community, the Dodgers and baseball.
TV Rating: TV G
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Deleted Scenes
Extended ScenesMARION JONES: PRESS PAUSE
Synopsis
Marion Jones captivated the world at the 2000 Summer Olympics, collecting three gold medals and two bronze. But her remarkable performance was soon tarnished. In 2007, Jones was stripped of her Olympic achievements and her freedom after a stunning admission that she had used performance enhancing drugs. Oscar-nominee John Singleton follows the evolution of Marion Jones as she reflects on the past & attempts to find a new direction forward.
TV Rating: TV PG
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
Deleted Scene
Extended Interview
Marion's Confession - UncutThe Best That Never Was
Synopsis
In 1981, Marcus Dupree was the most sought-after high school senior in the country, but his short-lived football career was littered with oversized expectations, controversy, injury and conflict. Eight-time Emmy Award winner Jonathan Hock follows the poignant and compelling story of “the best that never was.”
TV Rating: TV PG
Bonus Features:
Director's StatementsPONY EXCESS
Synopsis
In 1987, the NCAA issued "the death penalty" on a college football program for the first and only time in its history. A devastating verdict, the Southern Methodist University Mustangs would lack an identity for more than 20 years. Director Thaddeus D. Matula, an SMU film school grad, chronicles the rise, fall and rebirth of this once mighty team.
TV Rating: TV 14
Bonus Features:
Director's Statements
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