Torch reader Mark DiNatale of Los Angeles, Calif. sent in a review of the "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" documentary released two weekends ago. If you have seen the movie, we would also appreciate your review of the movie.
I first want to say that I was going to post this on one of the zillion movie review sites that are out there, but it might fall on deaf ears (or eyes in this case). I decided that the Torch and its readers would benefit the most from this review, given the subject matter.
I attended a screening of a new Documentary called "Bigger, Stronger, Faster* The Side Effects of Being American." The film is about the culture and often times obsession we have as a country with steroids.
Before I get too detailed and lose my thoughts, I want to say that this is an amazing film. I know it's a lot to recommend a documentary during the summer season with your "Iron Man, "Indiana Jones", "Hulk" and "Sex and the City," but this is a good film.
The writer/director Chris Bell does an excellent job tackling this complex topic from all sides. It's a very in-depth film and Bell does his homework. The film does not chastise or pass judgment one way or the other. It's one of the most honest and fair documentaries I have ever seen.
What makes this film good, is the human side of the story. Chris Bell uses his family to break down our pre-conceived notions of what a typical steroid user is. Chris is the middle child of three boys. Both the oldest and youngest are users and Chris confesses he did them, but stopped. This part of the film is very honest and paints a very human face on a nationwide problem.
The film tackles Chris's child-hood hero's that he worshiped growing up. There are a lot of Hulk Hogan, Stallone, and Schwarzenegger clips in the film. These were guys that he looked up to and wanted to be. The film goes on to reveal that it might not be all, prayers, vitamins and believing brother... there might be a greater force at work. And so an honest look at steroids begins.
The film is just shy of two hours and tackles the capital hill baseball hearings and Mr. Olympia contests. Chris talks with political figures, heath and medical experts, users, and non-users. There is an excellent segment with Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis talking about the Olympics. There are plenty of archived clips, news stories, and sound bites from the who's who of the steroid world - on both sides of the fence. The film is never preachy and is never dull. It informs, educates, and leaves you with a different opinion than what you had when you went it.
I was lucky to have tickets to a Q & A with the filmmakers after the film. The director and two producers were there to field questions from the enthusiastic audience, they seemed all to have loved it. During this time I found out that Chris Bell used to be a writer for the WWE. (There is a lot of WWE footage, as his brother Mike Bell was a jobber in the early days of Monday Night Raw.)
I asked a few questions about his access to the WWE. He said he was not granted anything for this film. How is got the footage cleared is beyond me. I also asked about unionizing wresting, and he made a good point saying that unionizing would only allow more drug use without the threat of losing their jobs. I thought that was interesting and most likely correct.
He also mentioned that he's friends with John Cena (whom he swears is 100% clean) and was told that there are guys that show up so loaded up on pills that they can barely walk down the ramp. Unionizing would only make it worse. That actually makes sense to me. I could have asked a zillion questions I guess, but I seemed to be the only wrestling fan in the crowd. There were a lot of MMA guys (fighters and fans) as well as the president of the Sumo Wrestling organization in Japan in attendance.
The point of the review is to make the film aware to fans that might not hear about smaller films like this. The movie is slowly being released in more theaters with each passing week. I highly recommend people seek it out. It's worth the time and money, and plays a lot better and more fair than "Beyond The Mat."
Here is the link to the film and the trailer, you can also find theaters where it's playing. BSF website link.
LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
