With many of you taking vacation during these last official weeks of summer, and perhaps looking for some sporty entertainment for rainy days or relaxing evenings at home, we thought it was time to bring you another installment of Sunday Night Sports Flix. The genre of this round is great sport documentaries and below are some of our favorites. Click image for preview.
ON ANY SUNDAY 1971 (above)
Acclaimed filmmaker Bruce Brown of “Endless Summer” fame, turns his camera from the world of surf onto the exhilarating insanity of motocross racing, documented with his signature humor and expertise. The grueling mayhem of the sport in its early days is the focus as the film follows the tortuous Mexican 1000, an off-road race down the Baja peninsula. Never before seen camera work puts you in the motorcycle seat.
DEEP WATER 2006
This riveting documentary tells the story of Donald Crowhurst and the 1969 London Times-sponsored race around the world. Nine sailors competed to become the first person to sail non-stop solo around the world, of which Crowhurst was the least experienced and ill prepared. Crowhurst was a engineer, who designed and developed navigation and safety equipment, but was in dire need of the prize money to salvage his failing business. This is not a heroic tale, but the fascinating story of a driven eccentric, whose bravado led him to desperate measures and a mysterious ending.
SURFWISE 2006
This is the story of legendary surfer, Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, who abandoned a successful medical practice and withdrew from the lifestyle of mainstream America. Paskowitz took his wife and nine children along for the ride, all eleven of them living in the extremely close quarters 24-foot camper. The family spent their days living by Doc’s idealistic rules on health, fitness, sexuality, and of course surfing, while worrying little about income and education — an upbringing which had some positive and but more negative effects on these kids. The film includes incisive interviews with family members, still photographs, and revealing archival footage.
RISING SON: THE LEGEND OF CHRISTIAN HOSOI 2006
Narrated by Dennis Hopper, Rising Son documents the life of the legendary skateboarder Christian Hosoi and follows his career from a young skating prodigy to his rise to the top of the skateboard world. His notorious rockstar lifestyle led to his descent into crystal meth addiction, eventual arrest, and just over four years in prison. The film features interviews with seemingly every major skater of the last twenty years, including Tony Alva, Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, and Jay Adams. He does come full circle, however, as a born again “Christian” and finds redemption relaunching his skating career with a signature move known as the “Christ Air”.
THE EDGE OF NEVER 2009
This documentary tells the story of a young teen freeskier, Kye Petersen, on a quest to ski the same slope, the legendary Exit Couloir on the Aiguille du Midi on Chamonix, where his father, famed big-mountain skier Trevor Petersen, perished. As Glen Plake and other accomplished skiers train Kye for this dangerous endeavor, they reveal a close-knit fellowship of adventurers who live to push themselves and each other to the limit.
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