Murderball

Great movie, and all involved deserve all the awards that I know are coming your way!

As an ex-murderball player of 18 years, I got to see, first hand, how this sport developed and grew internationally, along with those who play, in this huge adrenaline rush of a sport!

This movie provided me with flashbacks to how much I enjoyed playing "murderball" when I first started playing back in 1980 back when we used 55-pound hospital-style wheelchairs and steel-toed work boots to protect our feet!

This sport not only has an awesome set of athletes, but the friends and camaraderie that all develop by playing this true contact sport makes it all worthwhile. It also makes them realize that they all have the potential to go beyond their everyday abilities.

Greets to all you court rats out there and don't let anyone push you, push your freakin' chair and hit 'em if they get in your way... :)

Brian

I just got back from the screening at the SXSW festival and I want to enthusiastically add my praise. If you have a chance to see this doc, do it. The creators have done a remarkable job in storytelling and capturing the personality and spirit of the athletes. It is very human, genuinely funny, and emotional ride. The well integrated animations and appropriate soundtrack give a nice polish to this outstanding documentary.

The documentary also has the real potential to do good, because it will help transform viewers perceptions of people in wheelchairs. Just see it.

This recent documentary about quadrapalegics playing a violent form of rugby never found its expected audience. It was expected to be a breakout hit of last summer and was even released under the MTV Films label. It was eclipsed by last summer's surprise hit doc "March of the Penguins." Is it any good? The scenes in which we follow the players in their day to day lives are great. One portion of the film follows a recently paralyzed motorcross racer and his excitement in discovering the sport. These moments are touching, inspiring, and the doc's best moments.

The sport, though, is either filmed poorly by the directors or its just not that exciting. These moments are reminiscent of Oliver Stone's football scenes in "Any Given Sunday"--I can see a lot of bodies of banging together, but don't ask me what the heck is going on. It appears that who ever has possession of the ball is likely to score meaning that winning the game comes down to having the ball in the closing seconds.

As a sports doc, it falls short. It greatly succeeds, though, in exploring the lives of the athletes.

Recommended.

Read more at http://solipsisticblog.blogspot.com/.

Having seen one of the most brilliant documentaries several years ago called Hoop Dreams, I though there could be nothing that could even come close to its raw passion and emotional power. After witnessing Murderball, I realized I was wrong.

This documentary that follows a select group of quadriplegic athletes provides just the perfect amount of tension and joy, as witnessing the former trials of Arthur Agee, and William Gates and family in Chicago.

Some background is given on the sport as to how it's played (no less ironically on a basketball court), but Murderball's greatest asset is the depth in which it probes the players backgrounds and challenges, and our understanding of what it means to be in a chair (more than likely) the rest of your life.

Like Hoop Dreams, it isn't the games or the run up to the championship that becomes the most exciting part (as great as that may be), but is found in the little moments when a father makes an effort to be at his sons recital, an old friend comes to watch his buddy at the paralympics in Greece, a recent quadriplegic first gets into a "mad chair" for the first time, or a group of players confront a former coach and mention his "treasonous" grounds. It is the access the filmmakers have gotten to not just film games, but to be at the right place at the right time in these players lives. That is what separates a brilliant documentary from just a good one, also the filmmakers and distributors have believed in this film, and it contains some very slick production work to boot.

In the end, the audience for the most part who will be watching this as able bodied people, will come out with a sense of glowing pride for these athletes who play this crazy (perhaps) insane sport. This movie more than anything is about EMPOWERMENT, and the drive that succeeds in us all. When you watch these people in action you suddenly even begin to question how much you shouldn't complain about the everyday nuisances compared to what these players deal with on a regular basis.

It breaks down the barriers we people have towards individuals in wheelchairs to realize, that you know these people aren't always reflecting on what happened in their life as a lost chance, that they are okay, and more importantly you know what.. some of them may dam well be real jerks, but you know what.. that's okay too. But by golly, don't you dare even feel for sorry for them, just be glad that if you have a Zupan, Bob Lujano, or an Andy Cohn in your corner you may just have one of the coolest friends on the planet, and be a lucky person indeed. Cause for the most part they probably stand taller than you in every way.

Rating 9 out of 10

I am a person in a wheelchair as well in a small country of the world. It was quite difficult to find a cinema, where I could finally watch it with my mom. It was a great experience. I found it very useful. I really do think that all person in a wheelchair should see this film once. It helps to process the fact of an accident and live together with it in a normal way.

It also shows great examples of strong, life-affirmation, courage, wisdom and at the same time presents the reality of a handicapped life. I liked the way guys were talking about sex and it was good to see that they found partners even though their state. I also appreciated that the film showed a boy with a fresh motor-accident (Keith Cavill), who had just left the rehabilitation and could not find his place and happiness in his new home. Therefore we could see more stages of "accepting an accident".

Still, what I have also experienced, that it is easier for men (boy) to be wheel-chaired than for women (girls). As we could see from the film, most of the boys have chosen healthy girls for their partners, and they referred to the fact that girls like to take care of them. It works different in the case of girls.

And what is very important: sport is something which heals even very sad lives. It gives aim, happiness and meaning for either a healthy person or for somebody with a missing body part.

I would like to recommend this film to everyone who is interested in a different way of life.