Workout: A Documentary … examines the formation of the Blue Mound Gymnastics Club in the early 1960′s in Blue Mound, Illinois.

The back bone of the film is the exceptional gymnastic career of the filmmaker’s sister, Hali Sheriff and the dynamic driving force of his mother/ gymnastics coach, Ginny Sheriff.

… While returning from a gymnastics exhibition in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1966, both Hali and her mother were killed in a tragic plane crash along with Hali’s father, the Reverend Harold Sheriff, who was piloting the plane. Paul was ten years old.

Juxtaposed with this will be the filmmaker’s current life 42 years later. Through video diary, archive footage, and location interviews, the film will explore the effects and influence of this traumatic event on the filmmaker and immediate surviving members of the family, teammates and friends. Within this framework, the film also thematically treats and critically examines loss, and the changing roles and relationships within the family unit. The documentary also addresses athletic competition as a philosophy of life, with its effects on the individual athlete. …

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

To find out more, go to the YouTube page comments. Or to the official website. Paul is still trying to raise funds to complete the planned documentary.

Print Friendly

Though they make the most consistently excellent animated films, Pixar is often criticized for a bias towards male characters.

Perhaps that’s starting to change.

… Pixar has a forthcoming full-length movie, Brave, about a Scottish warrior-princess. It was slated to be directed by Brenda Chapman (Pixar’s first female director), then was replaced by Mark Andrews, with Chapman as co-director. …

Pixar’s gender gap

Click PLAY or watch the trailer YouTube.

related – The Fall of the Female Protagonist in Kids’ Movies

Print Friendly

Brutally realistic. It’s hard to become an Olympian. Fun to be one.

… follows the British girls hoping for a place on the gymnastics team that went to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Click PLAY or watch it on Gymnastike. (30min)

part 2 (30min)
part 3 (30min)

Marissa King was 2011 NCAA Vault champion.

Print Friendly

…‘Cold Warrior’.

“A young gymnast questions her dreams of Olympic glory when she discovers she’s part of a shady government plot to win at any cost.”

Written and directed by Emily Greenwood. …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

It looks hilariously cliché to me. But there is one theme that may be of interest to coaches.

… The film addresses the grim topic of abortion doping, a practice rumored to have been used by Romanian and Soviet coaches during the 1970s and 1980s to improve the athletic performance of gymnasts. …

Double Front – Cold Warrior Movie Trailer

Click through for more on that film. And for another link on abortion doping.

Print Friendly

That’s George, top of the pyramid.

Sheen TA Gymnastics Club (1934)

George Weedon, now 91, is the subject of a short film, Walk Tall, by Leytonstone animator Kate Sullivan which is having its premiere. …

In 1948 he came 28th out of 140 contenders and went on to compete again in Helsinki four years later. …

details on London Evening Standard

George introduced “the splits” to domestic men’s gymnastics in England. Officials tried to ban the “ladies’ movement“.

He recalls that the London organization “was a right shambles.”

Print Friendly

Final Destination 5 is a 2011 3D horror film …

The gymnastic set piece has been praised as “anxiety-filled”, “a beautiful example of successful comic suspense”, “Hitchcockian edge-of-your-seat suspense”, and “inventively grotesque”. …

I wouldn’t go that far. But it is slightly more realistic than Make It or Break It. (renewed for another season)

Will Emily Kmetko come back to training with a baby !?

Click PLAY or watch the movie clip on YouTube. (stop at 4min to avoid the death on Beam)

Candice, is played by actress Ellen Wroe, a former gymnast for Crenshaws. She did much of that footage herself.

One of the stunt doubles is Canadian gymnast Brittany Rogers.

(Link via Tim O’Donovan)

Print Friendly

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

Very well done. But terrifying. High performance dance leads to mental illness.

It’s called a psychological thriller. But if you don’t like horror movies, skip it.

Print Friendly

… The British have always been good at bringing the World a gymnastics documentary. For a country who was only recently climbed the ranks they have had quite a fascination with their gymnasts and the worlds they inhabit. This should not be that surprising. Consider the nineties, when the USA finally became a real power in gymnastics, there was a spate of documentaries coming from that proud nation.

The British have kept them coming for years however, and they are generally of good quality with interesting insights on the lives of those involved in the sport. …

Gymnastics Documentaries: A British Thing?

One of those she links to is another BBC documentary featuring Venus and Angel Romaeo.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

related – Gymnasts from Winnipeg were extras in a new movie based on the “tween-friendly American Girl line of dolls, books, fashion and activities”. (via IG)

Print Friendly

Aunt Joyce:

… a British documentary covering the selection of the 2008 Olympic Team. As a documentary alone, it is worthy of viewing. As a gymnastics documentary, it is superb. The film captures the emotional stress on the British girls as they train and compete for a spot on the Olympic Team. The never-ending stress at home and in the gym is palpable.

Andrian Stan is the star of the film. His blunt candor is horrifying, refreshing, amusing and brutally honest. …

gymnasticsstuff sends us the links:

Click PLAY or watch Part 1 on YouTube.

Part 2
Part 3

Hannah Whelan: Really appreciates having ‘gymnast’ as a memory of the Olympics, brought back memories, made me cry and love my dad in it….@michaelajw ?

Becky Wing: I’ve already watched ‘Gymnast’ 3 times (and cried every time haha.) It’s amazing to be able to relive the whole journey. Brings back so many memories #emotional

Marissa King: Great replies on ur thoughts on the Gymnast movie! Thank u 2 BBC & all u gymnastics fans out there 4 watching. I hope it was an inspiration!

Becky Downie: Just watched GYMNAST made me cry & brought back such amazing memories. Can’t believe I’ve decided to do it all over again, I must be crazy!!

Those quotes via the excellent review on Going For Gold

More reviews:

• Rewriting Russian Gymnastics
• Aunt Joyce
• littlemissgymnast

In the UK you can watch it on BBC.

Print Friendly

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I honestly don’t think I could watch that film.

Print Friendly