they didn't make it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Agee Although Agee played at a Division I school, he never achieved his dream of playing in the National Basketball Association. In 1996, Agee turned down a contract with the CBA's Connecticut Pride to take a role in the film Passing Glory.[2] In 2004, he launched a 'Hoop Dreams' clothing line with the slogan "Control Your Destiny".[2] On December 15, 2004, his father, Arthur "Bo" Agee Sr., was killed while attempting to run from at least one robber.[3] Speculation that the shooting was a paid hit was supported when a Chicago man was charged by Berwyn police for allegedly accepting money to kill Arthur Agee Sr.[4] The mission statement of the Arthur Agee Role Model Foundation is "to help underprivileged kids to understand that their role models are not professional athletes, but their parents at home".[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gates_(basketball) e struggled to get the required score of an 18 on the ACT exam needed to earn a scholarship at Marquette University, but finally managed a 17.5 aggregate score, which was rounded up to 18. At St. Joseph, Gates suffered a knee injury which limited his playing and recruitment offers. After he had a kid and left Marquette, without graduating, he went to Loyola University in Chicago where he still did not graduate. He became a community liaison to the new development in Cabri-Green. Gates would go on to give back to the community as senior pastor at Living Faith Community Center in Cabrini–Green, where he works at the Kids' Club. In 2001, Gates worked out with NBA star Michael Jordan in preparation for Jordan's comeback and was offered a tryout with the Washington Wizards, but injured his foot. His brother, Curtis Gates, also seen in the film, was murdered on 10 September 2001.[2]
Damn. Even after all their personal tragedies, they both ended up in positions to give back to their community. It really would of been a story book ending if they both made the NBA. I'm sure they both would of done even more good if they did.
Doesn't matter what you think. The only thing that matters was what the people making the documentary thought. And what the company who picked up the film's distribution rights thought. And what the people who will view the movie think. I might think the world has seen enough Wayans Brothers movies. Spike Lee might think the world has seen enough Tyler Perry films. It doesn't matter what I think, or what Spike thinks, if the Wayans Brothers can get funding, distribution and audiences for their films. Ditto for Tyler Perry. You're not the market, and the market doesn't necessarily follow your, or anyone else's, concept of a supposed meritocracy on who does, and does not, "deserve" a documentary. Ditto for people comparing documentaries. Sure, some scenes in Hoop Dreams might be more gut-wrenching than any scene in Linsanity. But then people who prefer Linsanity over Hoop Dreams would say that since the guys in Hoop Dreams didn't make the NBA and Lin did, Linsanity provides a better overall story and is thus a superior product to Hoop Dreams. It's important for people to understand that their views, and their take, isn't necessarily the one shared by others. And it doesn't matter how "reasoned" that take supposedly is, it still is likely subjective and is thus easily replaced by an opposite, equally-subjective viewpoint.
Hoop dreams was depressing. What was most depressing is thinking how many other kids dreamed of hoops not just for the love of the game, but as a means to a better life. I wasn't that interested in Linsanity. Not because I don't think it's an interesting story or well made, it's just that what would make it intriguing is to get to know Lin before Linsanity and seeing what he was like. Problem is, that Lin is such a simple humble person, he probably wasn't any different. He really hasn't changed bro.
I believe both of them had children when they were in college. Only complicated their attempt at the nba.
You're welcome. I respect what Tinman said about Hoop Dreams. I loved that movie. But I know that not everyone is going to feel the same way. Why? Because people like what, and who, they like. And there is no objective measurement of what makes a better movie, except perhaps technical aspects (bad lighting or good lighting, etc). The market -- the larger forces that drive demand and supply -- has never, and never will be, a thing based upon supposed objective merit. Which girl "deserves" to be the cover model for Cosmopolitan magazine? Which guy "deserves" to be the cover model for Men's Fitness magazine. It's not that simple. There may be a guy, Guy A, who's in incredible shape. Better shape than Guy B. But people want to see Guy B. So he gets to be on the magazine cover, even though Guy B "deserves" it more. And on and on. This is how life works. If there's a demand for a movie about Jeremy Lin, then the movie is getting made, getting picked up for distribution, and getting shown. That's it. If Danny Green -- or his supporters -- want a movie made about him, then he or his supporters can get some film equipment and start shooting. Then call a distributor. Etc. It's just like Lin and his YouTube videos. He and his team decided to make them, so they make them. If Danny Green wants to make similar YouTube videos, he can make them. No one is stopping The Danny Green Documentary Film Crew from beginning their work. So, if you want that film made, maybe you choose to spend less time complaining about a Lin film and more time shooting the Green film. Just a thought.
The themes in Linsanity were race, religion, fame, and family The themes in hoop dreams were ecomonic class, family, school, expectations, drugs
I compare both movies as documentaries. One movie shows how desperate poor inner city kids dream of making the nba to have a better life. One movie shows how a upper class Asian American is following his love of the game instead of traditional occupations and stereotypes. Different documentaries , just found hoop dreams to be more dramatic. Also didn't like the random transition scenes showing jeremy dribbling in slow motion. Didn't need the flash to tell the story.
http://www.gospelherald.com/article...ures-steve-nash-james-harden.htm#.Uh2OkX_6tEM So, I'm not sure if "upper class" is the best description of Lin's background. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. People are going to make, watch, and like the movies they want to make, watch and like. Still, if you got together 100 professional film critics, then they might come to a consensus that Hoop Dreams is a "better" film than Linsanity is. But that won't matter to the people who want to watch Linsanity. This happens plenty in the film industry, where the better-reviewed movie is outperformed by the worse-reviewed movie at the box office. Or, even if the better-reviewed movie performs better at the box office, the worse-reviewed movie still makes its money because its audience wants to see it, regardless of what critics think. I like Hoop Dreams quite a bit. I'm not here to trash Hoop Dreams. But I know that my tastes aren't the only ones out there. My main point in all of this was going to the "deserves a documentary" thing. Did Gates and Agee "deserve" a documentary? Did Guy B "deserve" to be on the cover of Men's Fitness when Guy A was actually in better shape? Does Tiger Woods "deserve" a 'Tiger Tracker' on ESPN when he hasn't won a major in 5 years? If you have the wherewithal to make a film, you can make it. If you run a magazine, you can put whoever you want on the cover. If you run ESPN and you want a "Tiger Tracker," you can have it. The market will usually guide you on this, but it's still your choice. You can do what you want. So, The Danny Green Documentary Crew can begin work tomorrow. No one is stopping them. Linsanity having been made isn't stopping a Danny Green documentary from being made. That was my main concern, rather than a comparison between documentary films.
Both documentaries were made because of the film makers wanted to make them. Lin and the hoop dreams kids didn't say hey lets make a movie about us. My point is don't say one movie is better than another until you see them both. Some people will buy a film about lin doing jumping jacks. I saw linsanity because I heard it was a good film.
I never said that. My point is that I am certain that there will be people who believe Linsanity to be a better film than Hoop Dreams, regardless of what you, I, or any film critics think. That I am certain of, even if no one besides you had seen the film yet. Liking or disliking a film, at least for those not trained as film critics, is a subjective enterprise. So long as that is the case, then I can say with certainty that there will be some people who will favor one film over the other, no matter the merits of the two films in question.
I didn't say you said that. I was jist saying my point. I would say the lins are upper middle class. Palo alto ain't cheap plus flying a family to taiwan ain't cheap either. California is different. They would have a big house in sugar land
I agree with you iJHolmes. Lin doesn't deserve this documentary. It's such BS that he has all these fans. Danny Green did way more and he doesn't have any fans. I really don't get it. The media is to blame for everything. And also blind LOFs who get butthurt any time we say Lin doesn't deserve all this attention. We can agree that Lin is a marginal, at best point guard in this league. No left hand, no defense, and no 3-point shot. What a joke... I'm as sick as you about Lin taking over the GARM. Can't wait till he's traded.
I agree again. They really shouldn't have released this documentary. Documentaries should only be made when people are gonna watch the documentary. And no one is gonna watch this crap. I also think documentaries should only be made after a player retires and is no longer playing. Even though they had all that footage and a nice story arc, it really is an insult to all the other players in the NBA to make a documentary. Lin is just an attention w****. They really should have sat on their documentary until after Lin gets cut by his next team. That would have made an even more hilarious story.
Fair enough. And a good point you made. Palo Alto is not cheap. I lived in Mountain View, beside Palo Alto, and that was expensive. And Palo Alto is more expensive. Definitely a whole different deal than Texas (or most other places), for sure. Middle class guy in the Bay Area can/could live like a king in Texas, or very close to it. Cali is expensive. I'm not trying to give you grief on the Lin's economic status. Just wanted to put that out there for others.
It's pretty disappointing to see how many people on the internet seem to think that life is a zero-sum game.
Every documentary, or movie, has an angle, a unique selling point or purpose. The Blind Side, for example, is a movie about a poor black kid overcoming the odds of a family in disarray, having to skip around foster homes, to finally being able to find his talent and overcoming his lack of education (at the time) to make it to the NFL. However, that in itself, wasn’t unique. It was his being adopted by a white family that cared for him just like one of their own, helping push him to achieve a dream and a more meaningful life. I find it hard to believe that Linsanity the Movie can be perceived as just a story of an upper class kid making it to the NBA and having a 7-game all-NBA stretch, and thus unworthy of a documentary or screening. That is way too narrow a viewpoint. Linsanity the craze has nothing to do with whether Jeremy Lin will eventually become an all-star or HOF player and hence worthy of a documentary being made. It is a story of an immigrant family’s kid with a passion for basketball, being overlooked every single step of his career (due to stereotyping) from one of the best high school players in California, to being overlooked for a college scholarship, to landing in Harvard which was his last-choice school (fitting in with the stereotype of an Asian-American kid), to being undrafted, to being picked up only after a stellar performance in the last summer league game of his stint (against the No. 1 draft pick PG for drama, no less), and putting in consistent hard work and aided by his ‘belief’ such that in his second season, on the verge of being cut from his 3rd team in two seasons, he rose up to the challenge and lived out the dream of his life on the big stage, a dream most boys growing up share. Linsanity is about overcoming the odds. From the stereotypes - the last real Asian American player (with both parents of Asian decent) played in the NBA over 50 years ago, the last Harvard-educated NBA player occurred over 50 years ago, and the last guy that went from undrafted and almost cut the third time to averaging all-NBA numbers (all in wins) in his first 7 starts never happened before. The odds of all three happening, combined, in a package of just slightly above-average athleticism (great speed, but average vertical/strength), and inconsistent jump-shot, is roughly zero. Statistically, what Jeremy Lin has done, you can’t even calculate an odd that is anything more meaningful than zero. And therein lies in what Linsanity is about – offering hope for people who have little reason to be hopeful, or that have all the odds stacked against them in their life. I don’t think anyone needs Jeremy Lin to make it to the HOF or become a NBA all-star to be able to draw inspiration from his life. And regardless of how Lin’s career ends up, Linsanity will have captivated a nation, and inspired hope among people whose life at some point or another, may have needed it. And if, to you, Linsanity is just the story of an upper class kid that had a 7 game stretch of all-NBA performance, that’s fine also. Don’t go to the cinemas. Perhaps watch it when it comes out on DVD. You may find yourself drawing inspiration and hope from it, when your life may need it (and who amongst us doesn’t ever hit a time when we can do with more hope and inspiration). And that is what Linsanity is about, and to me, that is plenty good enough a reason for the documentary to have been made and screened.
