Tockinit not horrible nor great

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

maurmcd Having been in the hospital and seeing some of these athletes,I'm not too sure that they didn't put on an act for the camera. I enjoyed the humor but some of it is really a lot of hype. I think it was amazing when it showed the guy from Texas giving a chair to the young guy.That was really very cool. I think some of it was realistic and important for people to see some of what life in a chair is about,at the same time I think it puts all people in a chair in the same class,and were not.Overall I felt it was a good movie,but perhaps could have done without the jackass stunts. Just my opinion. Great athletes!and obviously a great group of guys who share a zest for life. I think they could have shown more in detail of what life is like when you go home from the hospital. I hope some of them get their medals.

lastliberal I would not have liked being one of the Academy voters for the 2006 Documentary Oscar. I would be prejudiced and would have voted for the eventual winner, La Marche de l'empereur, but I finally saw the last of the other entries last night, and I know that the decision was difficult.Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Darwin's Nightmare, and Street Fight were all superior documentaries as was this one. It was a year of superior films.I can assure you that wheelchair rugby is not my cup of tea, and I applaud the determination shown by these players as they put their lives back together after injury or disease. And, yes, we do learn everything we always wanted to know about quadriplegic sex but were afraid to ask.

Susan Jackson Tonight I finally made time to watch the incredible documentary Murderball - a truly exceptional film. Through the introduction of action, conflict, and tension, the directors and editors compose a telling film that transcends athletes and disability. Murderball also blends an almost perfect three act structure with a natural arc for each character as well as the overall story. Not only is this film a hard-core doc packed with unfolding drama and arrogant and funny characters/people, it is also a surprise to anyone with stereotypes about disabled athletes. Despite the machoism and crude behavior of many of the people in the film, the documentary is as honest as I've seen in a few years. You don't have to like the characters to love the story. The film-making crew deserves every credit and reward that has resulted from this film. Kudos!

fwomp MURDERBALL, simply put, is a bunch of quadriplegics in wheelchairs playing full-contact Rugby on a sort of basketball court. But the movie is much more than that simplistic notion.MURDERBALL the movie is a voyage of discovery, telling its characters (the men in these wheelchairs) that life isn't over after a debilitating accident. And telling us, those who are fortunate enough not to be stuck in these chairs, that they've earned our respect, not our sympathies.This amazingly little known Paralympic sport is taken very seriously by the U.S. team, who've taken home the gold the past 11 times. Their specialized chairs are turned into battering rams for plowing into fellow players (the speed at which they can travel are impressive and the impacts at the end ear-throttling).Mark Zupan is one of this documentary's focuses, a quadriplegic with serious attitude, huge biceps, a scowling face, dark tattoos, and, underneath it all, a heart of gold. Having been paralyzed after an accident caused by his best friend from high school, Christopher Igoe, the two have not spoken in years ...out of guilt, fear, and anger. But as the film winds down we see a softening in attitude on Mark Zupan's part and the two come together in an offish but very touching way.The other main focus of the documentary is on Joe Soares, a bitter man who lost his position on team America and now spins his Rugby wheels for the Canadian team ...as their coach. Sparks fly as the two teams meet up for the first time since Joe Soares took over the Canadian team. Joe is also so caught up in what he's doing that he forgets to remember the most important things in his life: his wife and son. At first, I absolutely hated Joe. But as the film rolled on, and some changes in Joe's life were forced upon him, I began to understand his position. The viewer also gets to see Joe grow out of his self-centeredness and into a more loving father and husband.The final focus is on a young man named Kevin, who is newly acquainted with a wheelchair after becoming a quadriplegic from a motorcycle accident. He's bitter, angry, depressed, all the things you'd expect after suffering such a horrific life-change. But Mark Zupan introduces him to wheelchair Rugby (Murderball) and Kevin is instantly hooked. Life takes on new meaning for Kevin and he obviously decides that his existence still has value. A great set of scenes! I'll end this review by mentioning the special features that came with the DVD. Johnnie Knoxville and "Steve-O" from Jackass the TV series, party with several of the members of the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby team and it's a great thing to behold. Not only does it show how amiable these wheelchair-bound guys are, but it also shows us how their chairs don't hold them back in the slightest (punching each other, using cattle prods, and jumping off ramps in their chairs and into swimming pools).