OT: 17 BLOCKS!
No, this post isn't about Eric Riley and Roy Tarpley swatting shots — but more on them below.
Some of you may remember a few years ago that when my hoops documentary MEDORA came out, I invited my fellow MGoBloggers to attend any of our screenings for free. It was super fun to meet a bunch of you in Chicago, Louisville, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, and beyond.
Even with the pandemic, I want to extend the same offer to share my new film with you — for free — called 17 BLOCKS. In 1999, I met two kids on a basketball court in a tough neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. We started filming together, and have continued to document their lives for the past 20 years! (During this time I was even able to bring their family to the Big House — see picture below.)
Our finished film — 17 BLOCKS — has its nationwide release this week, which means people can stream it nationwide via their local theaters, like The Michigan Theater. I've been so grateful for the community MGoBlog has created in my life, and it would be meaningful to share the film with any of you who might be interested. Simply FILL OUT THIS GOOGLE FORM (takes less than 60 seconds) and a link to the film will be sent to you by our film team.
Here's the Official Trailer.
And here's a nice Detroit News article about the making of the film.
Thanks so much for checking it out!
For those wondering, Roy Tarpley set the Michigan record with 10 blocks in a game; Eric Riley and Ekpe Udoh have had 9. The college basketball record is 16 blocks by Mickell Gladness of Alabama A&M, while the NBA record was set by Elmore Smith of the L.A. Lakers in 1973, against Portland. The record he set that day still stands... 17 blocks.
"Unshakable!" —The New York Times
"A thunderbolt!" —The Los Angeles Times
"A singular achievement in documentary fimmaking." —Variety
A stadium visit in 2015, as part of our annual Washington To Washington trips.
February 23rd, 2021 at 1:54 PM ^
So, . . . not a sequel to the Bruce Willis flick "16 Blocks"?
February 23rd, 2021 at 1:56 PM ^
Haha, I wish! We did consider that people might wonder about that LOL
February 23rd, 2021 at 7:15 PM ^
think about it, you see 7 minute abs and 8 minute abs sitting on the counter, which one are you going to buy?
February 23rd, 2021 at 1:58 PM ^
I saw the Medora doc at the UICA theatre in GR. That was the worst basketball team I've ever seen and was basically a mirror image of the town - both hopeless. Sad story.
I'll be interested to check this one out too, thanks for posting.
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:06 PM ^
Thanks man! I remember that great screening at UICA. And in defense of that Medora team, while they were pretty hapless, I think the persistence and resilience of that team (and their town) were ultimately hopeful. I think 17 BLOCKS has a similar vibe — heartbreaking at times, but uplifting in the end... Thanks for checking it out!
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:01 PM ^
17 Blocks? I haven’t seen parts 1-16, so I’ll be really lost.
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:07 PM ^
LOL... 17 Blocks refers to how far the Sanford Family lives from the U.S. Capitol...
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:12 PM ^
This sounds great! I teach a CTE class in media and I am always interested in documentaries abnd films directed by people from Michigan. This sounds like an interesting story. Thank you for sharing!
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:29 PM ^
Awesome! Thanks for checking out the film... and if you end up being interested in sharing with your students, just contact me directly and we'll get you set up.
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:35 PM ^
Thank you! I just may hit you up later about that.
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:20 PM ^
This sounds like a labor of love. 20 years? Absolutely amazing accomplishment.
I very much look forward to seeing it. Congrats on completing this unique project.
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:31 PM ^
Thank you so much for "getting it" — very proud of the film, but I don't think any documentary would be completed if filmmakers knew going in what it would take to get to the finish line LOL. Thrilled to finally be able to share it with people now... Thanks so much for checking it out!
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:25 PM ^
Davy Rothbart, pride of Commie High, you are an unstoppable force. Found magazine and podcast, books, films. Always unforgettable. Thanks for staying with it. So excited for 17 Blocks.
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:33 PM ^
Thanks for this extremely generous message — honestly, it really means a lot. And by the way, I think the DIY spirit I learned at Commie High from fellow students has guided just about everything I've worked on since!
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:49 PM ^
HA! I never made the connection to you and Found.. In 2004 or 5 I saw you in Chicago at one of the improv comedy houses in a show that was set up to resemble a late night talk show like Leno or Letterman. You were one of the guests if I'm not mistaken.
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:01 PM ^
Haha nice! Used to live in Chicago and do a lot of Found events there - always a blast!
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:18 PM ^
I lived in Rogers Park on Sheridan Rd. for 2 years. It was a cool place to live. I think I would have liked it a lot more if I had been in my mid 20's instead of my late 30's. I had outgrown my clubbing and partying phase already. Was still cool living in that big of a city.
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:26 PM ^
Congrats on this accomplishment by the way. 20 years is a long time to put into a project. It looks like a true labor of love from the trailer. I will be sure to check it out.
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:40 PM ^
Thanks so much! Yeah, it's certainly been quite a journey but very meaningful to now get to share with friends, MGoBlog community, family, etc. Thanks for watching it man!
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:39 PM ^
Yeah, I was there from like age 21 - 26, so it has some special (and fun) memories for sure... My first experience living in the big city after growing up in A2...
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:34 PM ^
Congratulations!
February 23rd, 2021 at 2:42 PM ^
Thanks for your service!
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:02 PM ^
Congrats, Davy. Best of luck to you.
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:41 PM ^
Thanks so much!
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:28 PM ^
So this is sort of like Boyhood, but over an even longer timeframe and with an urban/basketball theme? Wow.
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:41 PM ^
YES - PRECISELY!
Or as a friend of mine said... BOYHOOD meets BOYZ N' THE HOOD.
Thanks man!
February 23rd, 2021 at 5:49 PM ^
Out of curiosity, did you know anything about their project (or vice versa) while you were getting started?
February 24th, 2021 at 12:24 AM ^
No — I had no idea about BOYHOOD at the time... but then again, I never conceived this to be a 20-year project, it just kind of happened that way. But when I saw BOYHOOD I loved it and definitely saw some resonances and got a sense for how the projects were connected in a certain way. Actually had a chance to tell Linklater about 17 BLOCKS, but it was years ago before the film was complete. Hope to share it with him eventually!
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:32 PM ^
Holy crap, an MGoBlogger is an accomplished film maker, eh?
Somebody better not post a link to their band's totally awesome new album or I'm gonna have some major self esteem issues.
February 23rd, 2021 at 3:46 PM ^
Haha, the MGoBlog community is filled with TONS of talent — not just the arts, but medicine, law, tech, journalism, not to mention teachers, coaches, and more. I'm talking 4 star and 5 star talent. Eleven Warriors and RCMB got flat-out housed in recruiting blog members.
February 23rd, 2021 at 5:52 PM ^
That is awesome! Congrats on the film!
February 24th, 2021 at 12:25 AM ^
Thanks so much brother!
February 23rd, 2021 at 5:54 PM ^
Double post. So here is an AC/DC video.
February 26th, 2021 at 9:51 PM ^
Watched it through tonight. Thanks for sharing with the MGoCommunity.
Couldn't help but be moved to tears seeing over 1,000 names flash across the screen at the end. Absolutely heartbreaking.
Replying to your post on ancient thread since I just saw what you wrote here. First of all, thank you so much for watching and absorbing the film. And yes -- ultimately the story in the film is just one of hundreds, really thousands of similar stories happening across the U.S. every year. So we hoped to gesture toward the enormous scope of the problem with those names at the end — and those were just in D.C. Anyway, thanks again for your kind words and empathetic response!