Hoop Dreams

I don't like to miss Weird Wednesday. Ever. I love these old exploitation flicks. Plus being free doesn't hurt.

But, you can't have a perfect attendance record.

Earlier today, I went to a screening of Hoop Dreams where Steve James was making an appearance. I hadn't seen Hoop Dreams since it originally came out. My parents rented it based on Ebert's famous recommendation of it, I think they were trying to teach us about hope and desire (Which, to be honest, Hoop Dreams is not the movie to do that with) or basketball. They might have wanted a Point Guard/Center combo between my brother and I. I remember it being the first documentary that I was really exposed to, and that it was a little bit boring (Granted, I was 12 at the time, that excuses me). Today, I wanted to take an older, more mature, a more attentive version of myself and see how I felt about it.

I now see what they were talking about back then. Watching the movie was really different this time around. This time the emotions really gripped me, I wanted them to make it, I wanted shots to fall differently, I really wanted it as badly as they did. It was all oddly familiar, but there was very little that I outright remembered from the film. It was like watching something completely new.

Steve James was able to fill out a little bit more of what happened to the two boys after the film. William (not Bill) Gates had two tryouts with NBA teams after some successful workouts with Michael Jordan. Sadly, both times William became injured right before the tryout. While fate cursed him, he took it well, basically saying that he finally knew that he could have made it. He takes solace in this.

That raises an interesting question: If you never make it, but become assured that you absolutely could have, is that a reassuring thing or the most depressing bit of information that you could ever be told?

Arthur is currently trying to manufacture a line of Hoop Dreams clothing with the blessing of Steve James and everyone involved. He's discovering the troubles of clothing industry now.

After the film I ended up going to the Lobby of Steve's hotel with some AFS members and had drinks with Steve and discussed the film, documentaries, etc. This was particularly exciting as I finally found people who agreed with me about Capturing the Friedmans. Once again, Steve really is a great guy. Everything he made from the film both Arthur and William have made from it as well. Given similar circumstances, I don't know that I'd be quite as generous as he was.

I'll also have to email one of my professors about an article we read accusing the makers of Hoop Dreams of being racist and let them know it's garbage (I knew this when I read it, but now I can really back it up).
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