B.S. Report: Alex Gibney
AP Photo/Morry Gash
Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN premieres the lost “30 for 30” documentary — Alex Gibney’s Catching Hell, a superb film about Steve Bartman and the concept of scapegoating in sports. (Here’s an exclusive sneak preview.) Gibney’s film was initially earmarked for “30 for 30” but got pushed back for reasons he explains on our BS Report, which lasted for an hour and covers Bartman and his Buckner connection, the process of making that film, his upcoming Lance Armstrong project, how Gibney chooses his projects, the state of the documentary genre, and why Cubs fans shouldn’t be terrified of watching this film. Even if I’ll always be disappointed that we didn’t get Gibney — one of the best documentarians alive — into the initial “30 for 30” series, this is a classic “better later than never” scenario.
FYI: This is the first of seven documentaries that ESPN Films will be premiering this fall. If you enjoyed “30 for 30,” it’s safe to say that you’ll enjoy Catching Hell, Renee (Oct. 4), The Dotted Line (Oct. 11), Unguarded (Oct. 18), The Real Rocky (Oct. 25), Charismatic (Nov. 1), and Roll Tide/War Eagle (Nov. 8). For complete details on these movies, click here.
Find Tuesday’s podcast here:
Subscribe to the BS Report and the Grantland Network on iTunes.
Bill Simmons is the editor-in-chief of Grantland, the host of the BS Report and the author of the recent New York Times no. 1 best-seller The Book of Basketball. Follow him on Twitter and check out his new home on Facebook.
Follow Grantland on Twitter or check out Grantland’s Facebook page.
Read more of The Triangle, Grantland’s sports blog.
Contact us at triangle@grantland.com
Filed Under: 30 For 30, Chicago Cubs, Grantland Network
More from Bill Simmons
-
Complete Column Archives: Grantland Edition
-
‘Bill Don’t Lie’ Podcast: Tom Haberstroh on the Cavs, Blake Griffin, and the Future of the Miami Heat
-
‘B.S. Report’: Chuck Klosterman on the NFL Draft, Hack-a-DeAndre, and ‘Mad Men’
-
The Tim Duncan Question
-
‘B.S. Report’: Jimmy Kimmel, Cousin Sal, and Bryan Curtis on Mayweather-Pacquiao
More 30 For 30
More Hollywood Prospectus
-
Brand Echh: Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton Can’t Save the Lame ‘Our Brand Is Crisis’
-
50 Scenes That Do Not Appear in the Fox ‘X-Files’ Revival
-
In Praise of Beach Slang, 2015’s Best, Most Sincere Rock Band
-
Who Was Missing From Taylor Swift’s Miami Squad?
-
Happy ‘Halloween’: The Best Horror-Movie Monsters