In the documentary film world, Michael Moore is the largest name and it is well documented that I can not stand him. Not because he is a screaming liberal and I am a moderate conservative, but because he mis-uses the documentary film. Documentaries should be movies about injustices or telling of amazing stories from a relative un-biased point of view. Murderball is an outstanding documentary that tells a fabulous story about wonderful people doing an amazing game. This movie is truly what documentaries are all about.

Wheelchair Rugby, or as it was called in Canada where it was invented, Murderball, is the baseline of the movie which introduces us to many athletes who are competing for the Gold Medal in the Para-Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. The story revolves around Team America, the powerhouse since the sport was in international competition, and its leader Mark Zupan, a 28 year old who became a quadriplegic when his friend got in a car accident in which he was thrown from the truck he was in and found in a ditch 13 hours later, and Team Canada and their coach Joe Soares, who was the best American player for years until he was cut, and feeling jilted, he became the coach of Team Canada.

This is a wonderful story that in a nut shell talks about live for the quadriplegic. The director, Henry Alex Rubin (Girl, Interrupted,) does an excellent job of picking a few players and telling their stories. But not only does he talk about them as athletes, he gives us the human side to them, how they became handicapped, their family life, relationships, and even sex. But the most compelling story is the rivalry between Joe Soares and Team America.

Joe Soares led the American team as a player for years, but as with all athletes, as he got older his skills decreased, and he was cut by the team before the 2000 season. Feeling betrayed he went to Canada and became their coach and led them to an upset victory at the 2002 World Championships against Team America. Zupan, on the American side, a very physical presence on the court, also feels betrayed by Soares and isn't afraid to express his feeling towards him many times.

This is a great movie, and hopefully Hollywood will ignore all the hype that March of the Penguins has received and give Murderball the much deserved Academy Award, if it gets nominated, which if it doesn't then there is something very wrong with Hollywood.

Brian - the Naked Gun