C.S. Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 Has anyone seen this? It was given a one-night "Fathom Events" theatrical screening on Thursday. No word on a home video or at least digital release, but that has to be inevitable IMO. It's very impressive just how many wrestlers were interviewed for this project. Unfortunately, some of them died before the documentary could be released (it was filmed over a five-year period). Through smaller stories and soundbites from various wrestlers, the filmmakers are able to paint a much larger picture about the wrestling industry as a whole. It covers the topics you'd expect: the amount of time wrestlers spend on the road (that's where the title comes from), injuries, drugs, ring rats, etc. One of the highlights of the film: a five-minute cooking segment with Ox Baker that really has to be seen to be believed. (Ox Baker in general is one of the best parts of this.) Sadly, Jimmy Snuka somehow comes across as more coherent than Marty Jannetty. Bret Hart, as usual, takes himself very seriously. I could go on and on... I wrote a review of the movie with my full thoughts and observations: https://www.silverscreensurprises.com/2018/07/review-350-days_16.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted July 21, 2018 Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 I thought Bret was the best part honestly. Very open and I think I learned some things for him. Explaining how his primary thought about the women on the road now is gratitude because they helped him keep going and how he considers them all friends, but saying it in kind of a somber way, was something else. To me, Bret Hart, JJ Dillon, and Ted DiBiase come across as the most sound-minded retired wrestlers out there, who could teach anyone who wanted to learn quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2018 Bret was definitely one of the highlights of the documentary for sure. But I found it more than a bit strange the way he took not only himself, but his every action, so seriously to such a stark degree. It's one thing to take the art of wrestling seriously - I think we can all appreciate and agree with that - but he went way beyond that IMO. You brought up his female "friends" on the road, which is a perfect example of what I mean. Bret described his infidelities with such gravity, as if they somehow had a greater meaning. He wasn't cheating on his wife with "ring rats" - he was relying on "friends" to "give him what he wasn't getting at home." It felt like such a bizarre justification, yet completely sincere and true to Bret's personality at the same time. Don't misunderstand me: I am not judging his actions - they're not for me to judge anyway - but I did find his descriptions and overall outlook to be really odd. I'm with you that JJ Dillon and Ted DiBiase came across as the most sound-minded, but I'm not quite sure I can put Bret in that category myself. Wrestling-wise? Absolutely. But the other stuff? I don't know. Still, I'm really happy he sounded so clearheaded and coherent after his stroke. Snuka was also surprisingly well-spoken, which pretty much exposes his "simple villager" shtick during the murder case to be complete bullshit (which we kinda already knew, but still). Marty Jannetty was in the worst shape of everyone in the doc, and it was very sad to see. Ox Baker was awesome. Just felt the need to say that again. BTW, the DiBiase stuff in 350 Days felt like kind of a sneak preview for his own documentary, The Price of Fame, which is worth watching too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 I should also mention how much I liked Tito Santana. And Valentine, for whatever issues he's had, is a good storyteller and a likable guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 At the beginning, all I wanted was for Ox Baker to stop working the gimmick. By the time it was over, I was glad he was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 4 minutes ago, Loss said: I should also mention how much I liked Tito Santana. And Valentine, for whatever issues he's had, is a good storyteller and a likable guy. Agreed about Tito Santana and Greg Valentine. I'd also add Paul Orndorff to that list. (He looked a bit rough, admittedly - I'm guessing this was filmed either during or after his bout with cancer - but he came across as very well-spoken and wise.) Even "Superstar" Billy Graham seemed to tone down his usual revival tent shtick - at least somewhat - and came across as more human. What issues has Valentine's had? 1 minute ago, Loss said: At the beginning, all I wanted was for Ox Baker to stop working the gimmick. By the time it was over, I was glad he was. If everyone in the movie played a character, I agree it would have been unbearable. But since he was the only one doing it (and I'm not even sure he was consciously doing it), it was a hoot. Truthfully, most of the people in the movie came across pretty well IMO. I just wish we had more time with some of them. Supposedly there was a ton of footage left on the cutting room floor, so I'm hoping all of that ends up on the DVD or digital release (assuming there will be one, but I can't imagine why there wouldn't be). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 Valentine has had some drug issues, which he touched on. The movie The Wrestler was very loosely based on Greg Valentine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 21 hours ago, C.S. said: Bret was definitely one of the highlights of the documentary for sure. But I found it more than a bit strange the way he took not only himself, but his every action, so seriously to such a stark degree. It's one thing to take the art of wrestling seriously - I think we can all appreciate and agree with that - but he went way beyond that IMO. I'm kind of in agreement with Cornette, who said Bret may take himself too seriously at times, but the business today would likely be better off if it had more people like Bret taking it too seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 6 hours ago, Loss said: Valentine has had some drug issues, which he touched on. The movie The Wrestler was very loosely based on Greg Valentine. I remember hearing that about The Wrestler, but the impression I had at the time was that they based it on a "midcard" act like a Valentine more than the actual man himself, instead of writing the movie about a Hogan type. 50 minutes ago, SomethingSavage said: I'm kind of in agreement with Cornette, who said Bret may take himself too seriously at times, but the business today would likely be better off if it had more people like Bret taking it too seriously. But are most of today's wrestlers really not guilty of taking their craft seriously? Cornette is talking about the Joey Ryan dick stuff and Kenny Omega wrestling a blowup doll (or whatever that story was), but that's the exception, not the rule. Seth Rollins - ironically a frequent Bret Hart target - seems to take himself very seriously, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 Don't assume. Cornette was actually talking about top guys with Lance Storm, so no. It wasn't his usual ranting & raving about dicks and superkicks. And Seth should be a frequent target for Bret. And you. And me. Seth is the shits. I do need to see this documentary though. Bret can be really dry & bland in certain interview settings, but I like that he thinks & operates with a different belief system to some degree - even if it is sometimes hypocritical. Edit: I'm about to elbow drop my phone if it keeps correcting "Cornette" to "Corvette." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 What was Cornette saying about Lance Storm? I never minded Lance myself. I thought the WCW gimmick with the three renamed Canadian belts was fun midcard stuff and actually a better way to introduce a new wrestler than most of what we see now. I won't call Seth one of my favorites or anything, but I think I like him slightly more than you do. His main problem to me - and he's far from alone in this - is that I have no idea who or what Seth Rollins is supposed to be. So, when everyone else on this board was raving about his recent "classic" matches with Finn Balor, etc., I could not give any less of a shit - there were no stakes, no meaning, no characters, and no reason for me to care. Anyway, Bret definitely isn't bland or dry in this documentary. He may be a lot of other things, but blind and dry aren't among them. He's easily one of the more insightful, thought-provoking, and memorable parts of 350 Days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 Cool to hear. I'll definitely get around to checking it out whenever I get a chance. To be clear, I meant Corny was having a discussion with Lance when it came up. And it's okay. I don't think anyone dislikes Seth's work as much as I do. But I have faith he'll eventually give you enough reasons to get there. Guy's still young after all. You also forgot about how he has no sense of psychology in wrestling and constantly fucks up simple face/heel dynamics (unless he's in there with a Miz type that shan't be steered off course), but hey. Whatever's clever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted July 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 Man, oh man, did Seth rob you in a Ponzi scheme or something? I agree he was an absolutely terrible babyface for the longest while after turning back for the Hunter feud, but he's gotten slightly better as a face since then. It is probably telling that Seth's favorite wrestler as a youngster was Rob Van Dam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 Even more telling is that nobody's favorite wrestler as a youngster is Seth Rollins. It would be a significant improvement if he studied more Rob Van Dam, to be honest. I'll stop now. Let's not derail this topic further with what the world already knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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