This is the the Lance bomb & it's in the can

[thehog]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/mov...berto-contador-matt-damon-tour-de-france.html

...the Armstrong doc, which is set to come out next year, becomes more timely as doping scandals grow — disgraced Tour de France 2006 champion Floyd Landis has accused Armstrong and others of doping, and three-time and current champion Alberto Contador risks being stripped of his title because of a failed drug test — developments that also make Gibney's movie a moving target.

The filmmaker, who is mostly done shooting but is still talking to some subjects, says this makes for hard but necessary choices. "At some point, the only thing you can do is make up your mind on when the story ends," he says. "If you try to put in too much, the film will just go on forever."

 

[hfer07]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/mov...berto-contador-matt-damon-tour-de-france.html

...the Armstrong doc, which is set to come out next year, becomes more timely as doping scandals grow — disgraced Tour de France 2006 champion Floyd Landis has accused Armstrong and others of doping, and three-time and current champion Alberto Contador risks being stripped of his title because of a failed drug test — developments that also make Gibney's movie a moving target.

The filmmaker, who is mostly done shooting but is still talking to some subjects, says this makes for hard but necessary choices. "At some point, the only thing you can do is make up your mind on when the story ends," he says. "If you try to put in too much, the film will just go on forever."

 

[scribe]

Damon doesn't have the testical to pull this off.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

New Armstrong documentary narrated by Damon

Meanwhile, the Armstrong doc, which is set to come out next year, becomes more timely as doping scandals grow — disgraced Tour de France 2006 champion Floyd Landis has accused Armstrong and others of doping, and three-time and current champion Alberto Contador risks being stripped of his title because of a failed drug test — developments that also make Gibney's movie a moving target.

The filmmaker, who is mostly done shooting but is still talking to some subjects, says this makes for hard but necessary choices. "At some point, the only thing you can do is make up your mind on when the story ends," he says. "If you try to put in too much, the film will just go on forever."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/mov...berto-contador-matt-damon-tour-de-france.html

 

[NickBVK]

A typical cyclist upper body

 

[scribe]

I just got dejavu all over again.

 

[Merckx index]

The filmmaker, who is mostly done shooting but is still talking to some subjects, says this makes for hard but necessary choices. "At some point, the only thing you can do is make up your mind on when the story ends," he says. "If you try to put in too much, the film will just go on forever."

Interesting statement if you substitute "investigator" for "filmmaker", and "investigation" for "film".

 

[shouldawouldacoulda]

A typical cyclist upper body

Yeah, that looks about right ...

But seriously, I'm not sure it matters what your upper body looks like if you are simply the narrator of a documentary:

EXCLUSIVE: Matt Damon is set to play Lance Armstrong in a long-gestating biopic about the Tour de France champion that may never get made.

But he'll be connected to the star athlete in another filmic way: Damon will narrate the new documentary about Armstrong from Oscar-winner Alex Gibney.

 

[Oldman]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/mov...berto-contador-matt-damon-tour-de-france.html

...the Armstrong doc, which is set to come out next year, becomes more timely as doping scandals grow — disgraced Tour de France 2006 champion Floyd Landis has accused Armstrong and others of doping, and three-time and current champion Alberto Contador risks being stripped of his title because of a failed drug test — developments that also make Gibney's movie a moving target.

The filmmaker, who is mostly done shooting but is still talking to some subjects, says this makes for hard but necessary choices. "At some point, the only thing you can do is make up your mind on when the story ends," he says. "If you try to put in too much, the film will just go on forever."

This may represent the type of exposure that would do more damage than Novitsky ever could in presenting an unvarnished editorial image. Not too many people shine in that kind of light in the best of circumstances.

 

[hughmoore]

Ok, they have dropped the movie because he didnt win the Tour again and instead are doing a documentary, seems logical to me.

I cant see the link with doing a doco instead of a full blown movie being somehow a bombshell.



Hugh

 

[TERMINATOR]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/mov...berto-contador-matt-damon-tour-de-france.html

Any documentary that sidesteps the fact that Lance doped his entire career is not a documentary but a work of fiction.

That's why they focused on his 2009 comeback and scrapped the real movie they wanted to make...because they knew if they covered his 7 Tour wins without mentioning what Lance really did to get those wins it would come back to haunt them once this federal investigation comes to a boil.

Not sure about the point of making a documentary about a guy who comes out of retirement to get third place in the Tour.

What a bizarre TV project.

 

[Ferminal]

They should hold out on any production until after he gets out of the slammer. They could then paint the ultimate story of "redemption", giving everything to raising cancer awareness and "I'm not interested in the past, it's all about this, now".

 

[HoustonHammer]

This may represent the type of exposure that would do more damage than Novitsky ever could in presenting an unvarnished editorial image. Not too many people shine in that kind of light in the best of circumstances.

Umm. What if the documentary is the typical American rah-rah trash and takes the whole 'miracle-boy' line to tell the story? Will that be damaging?

Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see anything in the article that pointed in either a pro- or anti-Lance direction.

 

[scribe]

Matt Damon can't even save this one. I am embarrassed to admit I saw Race Across the Sky. (it was free and next door) There were 4 other people in the whole theater for that one.

 

[JMBeaushrimp]

A typical cyclist upper body

Looks like buddy should be riding kilo...

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Of course I haven't seen the film, but to me the way this is apparently being presented from what I can see is an absolute abomination of any journalistic integrity. And yes, documentary films are based in journalism, and should have integrity as such.

For Gibney and Damon, both Oscar winners, to be so willfully blind in such an introspective and troubling time about our sport and it's de facto representative to the masses is inexcusable. I know I may catch some flak for this being a mod and all, but to me this film seems to be about as objective as Olympia but with none of Leni Riefenstahl's artistry.

 

[slowoldman]

Sorry, but I was expecting a bigger bomb.......that isn't much.

 

[hughmoore]

Sorry, but I was expecting a bigger bomb.......that isn't much.

Maybe the bomb was the fact that it might not be a huge box office success and to avoid being a "bomb at the box office" they are making a doco.

Regards


Hugh

 

[pedaling squares]

Sorry, but I was expecting a bigger bomb.......that isn't much.

I think it's been a while now since the "bomb" was promised and any news piece about Armstrong was going to have to fit the bill. This bomb is a dud.

 

[Boeing]

Too bad it's not Johnny Damon

 

[Maxiton]

Of course I haven't seen the film, but to me the way this is apparently being presented from what I can see is an absolute abomination of any journalistic integrity. And yes, documentary films are based in journalism, and should have integrity as such.

For Gibney and Damon, both Oscar winners, to be so willfully blind in such an introspective and troubling time about our sport and it's de facto representative to the masses is inexcusable. I know I may catch some flak for this being a mod and all, but to me this film seems to be about as objective as Olympia but with none of Leni Riefenstahl's artistry.

But this is the way "heroes" are made and sold. An image is manufactured out of whole cloth and pawned off on the public. In the process some people make a lot of money and the gullible get something that corresponds in no way with reality, or with anything human.

You could certainly argue that this has been the way of things in modern times. Call it the "cult of personality". You could also make the case that it harkens back to biblical times; call it the messiah phenomenon. (Making Lance what, a secular, latter day Jesus? - about to step onto his Calvary? . . . . Are you liking this? )

Seriously, though, in today's internet-connected world, where we can all exchange information and ideas, maybe such a manufactured image starts to quickly look pretty thin and weak. But that won't stop them from coming out with lame movies and biopics. It'll just make the effort look weaker and lamer to a larger number of people. In any case, this is what people like Damon and Gibney get well paid for, and why the word "hack" was invented.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

...In any case, this is what people like Damon and Gibney get well paid for, and why the word "hack" was invented.

Touche.

The sad part though is both of these guys have Oscars.

I honestly don't see a bicycling film (as in dramatic movie, not documentary) getting made and sold in the US for a while. Documentaries are probably close to dying too. The idea of a cycling movie has been kicked around for years, but would be challenging and difficult to produce for starters, plus it's a rather obscure sport to begin with. It makes much more sense to just make another basketball/football/baseball movie about sports heroes. And now the sport is damaged, probably for some time, making such an investment not very wise. It would have to be a "bicycling" movie like PeeWee's Big Adventure. Or something ugly - picture Requiem for a Dream on wheels. A LA biopic or movie about something similar I don't see.

 

[thehog]

The documentary was commissioned under the premise of Comeback 2.0 and that Armstrong would win the 2010 Tour. So when he was 3rd in 2009 it set up the story nicely to win in 2010. Of course that all changed with Landis. Thus the makers have cut the story at 2009 and the drama with Alberto. I’ve heard about how its going to be presented and its not pretty. Ie lots of kids with liver problems rocking up at the team bus and Lance spending some time with them and giving them a signed jersey etc. Said kid going off to mum crying because God gave him hope. Blah blah blah. It will be no “When we were Kings”. None the less it will go straight to On-demand or Netflix and never be seen in a cinema. Unless Lance goes to jail then they’ll have to do a new ending and it will be a box office smash!

 

[yourwelcome]

Of course I haven't seen the film

I know I may catch some flak for this being a mod and all, but to me this film seems to be about as objective as Olympia but with none of Leni Riefenstahl's artistry.

Not meaning to nitpick, but before you slam the 'artistry' of the film, shouldn't you see it first?

It might well have plenty of heroic shots of a towering Lance shot by a talented cinematographer.

 

[petethedrummer]

Not sure about the point of making a documentary about a guy who comes out of retirement to get third place in the Tour.

They could pitch it like the first and last Rocky films.