After seeing this, I do believe that Lenny Cooke would have been a big star if he had been chosen for pro level.
There's not much to this very simple documentary but it's an eye-opening watch for curious parties. Lenny Cooke was the #1 high school basketball player in the country and was up for the NBA Drafts - and though there was a ton of hype around him at the time, all of his commensurates got picked, and he didn't. And then, nothing else ever happened for him. Witness the build up, the disappointment, and then the void.
To me, it does feel like it has a slightly exploitive edge to it but it's the Safdie Brothers and speaking of edges that is where they initially found theirs. I mean, have you seen their next movie, Heaven Knows What? Do you know the story behind that one? One of the darkest films of the century, through exploitive means, and it's a masterpiece. God handed them the torch and they carried it.
After exploring the Safdie's earlier works, I really appreciate their dynamics and diversity. While Good Time and Uncut Gems have quite a lot of similarities, all of their other films are extremely different from one another, yet they all have a lot of merit. Truly some of the most admirable filmmakers of the last 15 years.
I hope Lenny is doing well.
There's not much to this very simple documentary but it's an eye-opening watch for curious parties. Lenny Cooke was the #1 high school basketball player in the country and was up for the NBA Drafts - and though there was a ton of hype around him at the time, all of his commensurates got picked, and he didn't. And then, nothing else ever happened for him. Witness the build up, the disappointment, and then the void.
To me, it does feel like it has a slightly exploitive edge to it but it's the Safdie Brothers and speaking of edges that is where they initially found theirs. I mean, have you seen their next movie, Heaven Knows What? Do you know the story behind that one? One of the darkest films of the century, through exploitive means, and it's a masterpiece. God handed them the torch and they carried it.
After exploring the Safdie's earlier works, I really appreciate their dynamics and diversity. While Good Time and Uncut Gems have quite a lot of similarities, all of their other films are extremely different from one another, yet they all have a lot of merit. Truly some of the most admirable filmmakers of the last 15 years.
I hope Lenny is doing well.