ESPN's "30 for 30" now streaming on Netflix

[Robo]

I've seen very few of these beginning to end—which should I watch first?

http://movies.netflix.com/WiSearch?raw_query=30+for+30&ac_category_type=none&ac_rel_posn=-1&ac_abs_posn=-1&v1=30+for+30&search_submit=

[Phoenix Dark]

Can you post the link? I can't see it since I don't have netflix.

Most of the 30 for 30 docs are great. My fave is

[Human Snorenado]

Anything involving Muhammad Ali, the Ricky Williams one, and the "Winning Time" one about Reggie Miller.

[Joe Molotov]

I've only seen two:

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. New York
The Best That Never Was

and they were both good. The next on my list to watch are:

Pony Excess
Without Bias
Catching Hell

[Robo]

Can you post the link? I can't see it since I don't have netflix.

I can't seem to find a link to anyone with a full list of the episodes streaming, but on a glance, it seems to be all episodes through 2010 with a few exceptions ("Jimmy the Greek", "Straight Outta L.A.", "One Night in Vegas").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_for_30#List_of_the_30_for_30_Volume_I_films

I see some others from 2011 in there, too.

[Phoenix Dark]

Jordan Rides The Bus
Winning Time

No Crossover is utterly amazing as well

[etiolate]

watch Once Brothers

[Human Snorenado]

Glad to see there's a consensus on "Winning Time", while watching it I was really struck by how much I used to enjoy watching the NBA during that time period.  I guess as I've gotten older I just have less time to devote to sports and basketball was the one that got the short straw.

[Phoenix Dark]

Winning Time reminds you of a time when everyone wasn't friends in the NBA, and refs weren't calling every touch foul

[CajoleJuice]

watch Once Brothers

and the Two Escobars

fuck Winning Time 

[Mr. Gundam]

Is "For the Love of Bobby V" on there? Missed that one when it aired a while back.

[CajoleJuice]

Is "For the Love of Bobby V" on there? Missed that one when it aired a while back.

That's not on the Wikipedia list for 30 for 30.

[DJ_Tet]

watch Once Brothers

and the Two Escobars

fuck Winning Time 

Now now.  Winning Time was a great documentary.

But Two Escobars was a great movie.  The whole series is fantastic, but The Two Escobars is transcendent above the series imo.  It's amazing and some of the footage they got is surreal.

[CajoleJuice]

Winning Time is Spike Lee and Reggie Miller jerking each other off

[Himu]

Was Winning Time that shitty Kobe joint by Spike Lee

[Mr. Gundam]

Is "For the Love of Bobby V" on there? Missed that one when it aired a while back.

That's not on the Wikipedia list for 30 for 30.

Zen of Bobby V, whoops.

I can't remember if it's a 30 for 30 doc, but it was an ESPN documentary. It's never been made available to watch after it aired.

[Human Snorenado]

Winning Time is Spike Lee and Reggie Miller jerking each other off

Maybe NYC should quit using all of their championships on Yankees wins

spoiler (click to show/hide)

lol knicks lol

[close]

[Stoney Mason]

Good shit

[pilonv1]

Pony Exce$$ and The Best That Never Was were my two favourites. Some of the footage of Dupree in high school is incredible

The other ones I enjoyed were

Winning Time
The U
Run Ricky Run
The Band That Wouldn't Die
Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL
Guru Of Go

Tim Richmond: To The Limit was really interesting to me because I'd never heard of him before, but it's pretty vague about how he came about his situation and not an accurate reflection of what happened.

[Eric P]

I'm not a bball person but I really liked Winning Time and Guru of Go
Straight Outta LA was pretty good
loved The Band that Wouldn't Die

[Beezy]

Nice. Netflix always seems to find a way to stop me from canceling.

[Huff]

Man, reggie was one skinny looking dweeb. Watched winning time last night. might watch one a night until i get bored of them

[CajoleJuice]

After actually watching The Two Escobars (yes, I recommended it before even watching it myself), anyone who recommends Winning Time over it is a fucking distinguished mentally-challenged fellow.

[bdoughty]

The Two Escobars is the best of the 30 for 30 series that has plenty of good stuff. Once Brothers is my second pick, the end with Vlade going back to visit the Petrovic family... see it for yourself.  Unmatched (Martina and Chris) is also really good, for someone old enough to recall that rivalry.  Little Big Men, "The one about the Kirkland LLWS team" was the only dud of the batch.

That said when it comes to sports documentaries Hoop Dreams is so far and way the best ever made. I only mention this in case there are people who have never seen this movie. If you have not seen it shame on you, best three hours I have spent in front of a TV. Even if you could care less about basketball you will love this movie.

Watch for free on Hulu, now you have no excuse to miss this excellent documentary.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/249576

[Stoney Mason]

Watched Unmatched and Without Bias. Both good although the Bias one hit closer to home since I was a big Celtics fan as a kid around that time period. Chris Evert comes off as a bit prissy in unmatched but I always preferred Martina anyway.

Watched Once brothers already in the past and enjoyed that one.

[Bloodwake]

My favorite was June 17th, 1994. It's like a collage of film. SO awesome.

[Phoenix Dark]

My favorite was June 17th, 1994. It's like a collage of film. SO awesome.

yup. some crazy stuff

[Stoney Mason]

Watched The Two Escobars. It was indeed as good as everyone said.


Also this bit of news.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The Television Critics Association (TCA) Summer Press Tour is an annual two-week event where broadcast and cable networks highlight top upcoming projects to writers, critics and other industry media.
ESPN conducted its session Friday, using the opportunity to announce ESPN Films’ fall slate of 30 for 30 projects as well as the first four 30 for 30 Shorts, which will premiere on Grantland.com.
ESPN Films vice president Connor Schell led the first panel, joined by ESPN Films executive producer John Dahl and three acclaimed directors who will be part of the fall series: Michael Bonfiglio (You Don’t Know Bo), Billy Corben (Broke) and Coodie Simmons (co-director of Benji).
Schell discussed the slate of six films for 30 for 30’s Volume 2: “Each of these individual films are the filmmakers’ vision, where they’re telling a very specific story, and then we try and curate the larger series to tell a bigger story about sports and culture.”
A second panel — with Schell, Michael Zimbalist, director of Arnold’s Blueprint, and former California governor, actor and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger — showcased the new 30-part digital short film series that represents a collaboration with Bill Simmons’ Grantland.com.
The shorts will be similar to the feature-length films in that each will represent a specific point of view of the filmmaker and be a reflection of how each blends the narrative with his own visual style.
Zimbalist’s Blueprint will be the first, focusing on Schwarzenegger’s teenage years in the Austrian Army and his entry into the sport of bodybuilding.
“I’m always interested in telling [my] story and ESPN, in this case, is really a great way of showing it, especially through such a brilliant filmmaker,” Schwarzenegger said of Zimbalist, who teamed with brother, Jeff, on The Two Escobars, one of the most acclaimed films of the original Emmy-nominated and Peabody award-winning 30 for 30 series.
Schwarzenegger added: “There’s lessons that you learn in sports that are unlike anything else…One of the most basic things you learn in sports is the harder you work, the further you will go. And the more you’re able to overcome obstacles and defeats and periods when you’re down, how fast you can pick yourself up, the faster you can get to the end goal.”

[Robo]

I watched Winning Time preparing to defend it to spite Cajole, but he was right.  I still loved it for what it was—who doesn't enjoy watching a couple guys beating each other off—but it's just a highly entertaining puff piece.  And pre-kid gloves NBA is a novelty of its own.