“The NFL Today” on CBS was one of the preeminent sports programs on television in the early 1980s. It was a perfect combination of reporting, analysis, predictions, humor and talent. But there was no personality on the show more popular than Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Greek immigrants, Jimmy overcame childhood tragedy, moved to Las Vegas, and eventually became the biggest name in the world of sports handicapping. When CBS added him as an “analyst” on “The NFL Today,” “The Greek” not only further increased his stature as a sort of national folk hero, but he also gained an air of respectability never before associated with gamblers. Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Fritz Mitchell, who broke in as an intern on “The NFL Today,” will examine Snyder’s impact on the growth of sports gambling, while also taking a fresh look at The Greek’s tragic downfall.
“The NFL Today” on CBS was one of the preeminent sports programs on television in the early 1980s. It was a perfect combination of reporting, analysis, predictions, humor and talent. But there was no personality on the show more popular than Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Greek immigrants, Jimmy overcame childhood tragedy, moved to Las Vegas, and eventually became the biggest name in the world of sports handicapping. When CBS added him as an “analyst” on “The NFL Today,” “The Greek” not only further increased his stature as a sort of national folk hero, but he also gained an air of respectability never before associated with gamblers. Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Fritz Mitchell, who broke in as an intern on “The NFL Today,” will examine Snyder’s impact on the growth of sports gambling, while also taking a fresh look at The Greek’s tragic downfall.
2009-11-10
5.8
The greatest odds he ever faced were his own
A rising Boston gangster (Ben Barnes) endangers those around him when he starts to make moves without the knowledge of his boss (Harvey Keitel).
In 1981, college athletic recruiting changed forever as a dozen big-time football programs sat waiting for the decision by a physically powerful and lightning-quick high school running back named Marcus Dupree. On his way to eclipsing Herschel Walker’s record for the most touchdowns in high school history, Dupree attracted recruiters from schools in every major conference to his hometown of Philadelphia, Miss. More than a decade removed from being a flashpoint in the civil-rights struggle, Philadelphia was once again thrust back into the national spotlight. Dupree took the attention in stride, and committed to Oklahoma. What followed, though, was a forgettable college career littered with conflict, injury and oversized expectations. Eight-time Emmy Award winner Jonathan Hock will examine why this star burned out so young and how he ultimately used football to redeem himself.
An ex-mercenary turned smuggler. A Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son, conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed countrywide.
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
Every second of every day, from the moment he was born, for the last thirty years, Truman Burbank has been the unwitting star of the longest running, most popular documentary-soap opera in history. The picture-perfect town of Seahaven that he calls home is actually a gigantic soundstage. Truman's friends and family - everyone he meets, in fact - are actors. He lives every moment under the unblinking gaze of thousands of hidden TV cameras.
Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.
A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
In 1630, a farmer relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest where strange, unsettling things happen. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, each family member's faith, loyalty and love are tested in shocking ways.
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
Julian, who runs a Thai boxing club as a front organization for his family's drug smuggling operation, is forced by his mother Crystal to find and kill the individual responsible for his brother's recent death.
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.
Welcome to Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up and no humans are allowed. One special weekend, Dracula has invited all his best friends to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis's 118th birthday. For Dracula catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem but the party really starts when one ordinary guy stumbles into the hotel and changes everything!
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
The best films of the European Outdoor Film Tour 11/12.
An in depth look at the full effect of State Lotteries on the players and the people around them.
Indie film studio Silver Platter serves up yet another exhilarating ride through exotic and extreme snowboarding terrain with this documentary that's part travelogue and part sports spectacle. Watch Andy Finch, Travis Rice, Colin Langlois, Kyle Clancy and Shaun White take on the wildest of slopes in such places as New Zealand, Norway, British Columbia and Japan, all for the love of snowboarding.
What if you temporarily took leave from the safety of everyday life to battle through a challenge that scares you? What if your only worries were riding, finding food and water and a place to sneak a few hours of sleep? What if you forgot your self-imposed limits just to see what you were truly capable of for once? What if you were a racer at heart? Why wouldn't you want to take on the toughest races on the planet?
The documentary centers around four young, ambitious women living a highly disciplined and structured life to achieve the desired Bikini Fitness competition body. For these women their body is a subject of constant observation and reflection. It is to be controlled, changed, modified and constructed. And finally, the gaze of an external observer - that of a coach and a judge - will determine when that well-crafted figure is complete and whose is the best.
It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.
Laura Ludwig's and Kira Walkenhorst's journey to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Despite setbacks in their preparation the team keeps pushing themselves to reach their ultimate goal - the Beach Volleyball Goldmedal.
WATERSHED chronicles the story of Mallory Weggemann, who was paralyzed at the age of 18 and found refuge in the pool as a swimmer. Having won five Paralympic medals, Weggemann is now not only looking to reclaim her spot on the podium, but she’s trying to become a mother as well. In WATERSHED, which was self-documented by Weggemann and her husband Jay Snyder, Weggemann trains for the Tokyo Paralympics during COVID-19 and battles an additional injury to her arm, putting her career in question. Against the backdrop of these crossroads, the couple bravely share their struggles with infertility, the importance of IVF, and their journey to start a family. In this deeply personal and inspiring film, Weggemann reminds us that trauma and tragedy not only change how we are perceived by society, but how we perceive ourselves. And that if we’re brave enough, we too can write our own ending.
Internet comedian Carl Déman from the humor group JLC lived a life that looked glorious. But beneath the surface was a terrible gambling addiction that almost cost him his life. In 2019, he and other gambling addicts struggle to stay afloat in a contemporary age marinated in gambling advertising. Carl wants to ask those who make the advertising how they think and wonders why the advertising profiles now also come from the world of culture and entertainment.
The mavericks who pioneered the modern pit stop made it a raceday staple that takes less than two seconds.
Documentary that tells the story of Vianney Trejo, a young woman who struggles every day despite her disability. We go through her daily routine, as well as her passion, swimming, where she has consistently achieved triumphs and has been considered for international competitions.
The Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s and early '90s seemed willing to do anything to win. That characteristic made them loved — and hated. It earned them the title: Bad Boys.
With Tom Dumoulin and Primož Roglič, Team Jumbo-Visma has one big goal in the summer of 2020: to win the Tour de France. For three weeks, the "yellow and black train" can be seen in front of the peloton. Everything seems to be under control. In the last week, Roglič has the leader's jersey firmly around his shoulders and apparently nothing can stand in the way of a victory march on the Champs-Élysées.
Afonsinho, Paulo Cézar Caju and Nei Conceição started their careers in the mid-1960s, a time of strong political repression in Brazil. Originally teammates of a celebrated generation of the Botafogo football team superstars, they did not give up their freedom when the military dictatorship decided to take control of the field.
From Olympic pools to wild rivers to world championship podiums, discover the incredible life of Nouria Newman, the most gifted kayaker of her generation.
They learned to play tennis in one of the worst American ghettos and still reached the top of the world rankings, dominating the women’s game for decades. The story of Serena and Venus Williams is one of overcoming sexism and racism to transform the sport
A documentary on Argentinean soccer star Diego Maradona, regarded by many as the world's greatest modern player.
A tribute celebrating the life of NESN Red Sox analyst, Jerry Remy, including feature stories and memories of Jerry's legendary broadcast and playing careers from teammates, colleagues, and Red Sox legends.
Revolver, the 2010 film from Poor Boyz Productions, presented by Salomon focuses on the progression and the factors that have coincided with many great advancements of the sport of skiing. (Over the last decade skiing has exploded into what we know it is today. But skiing has had many trying moments long before the end of the 20th century.) This season Poor Boyz Productions plans to showcase today’s raw talents of skiing in a high action, retrospective, yet progressive look at what things are pushing the sport today.