Sesker's Slant: Foxcatcher is powerful, dark, must-see movie
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
I finally had a chance to see the movie “Foxcatcher” earlier this week.
It was a movie that I’ve very much wanted to see since they started filming it over two years ago.
First off, it’s one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. It is a very dark movie, and quite frankly very depressing and disturbing, as you see the actual events unfold that led to the murder of Olympic gold medalist Dave Schultz.
The actors are magnificent. I can’t say enough about what a great cast they put together for this movie and what a phenomenal job they did in telling this story.
Steve Carell’s portrayal of John du Pont is a huge departure for a guy who has made millions as a comedic actor. Carell was the perfect choice for this role and he nailed it. He deserves all of the critical acclaim that comes his way. John du Pont was obviously a deeply disturbed individual and Carell captured that well.
Mark Ruffalo certainly was the right choice to play Dave Schultz. He is known as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, and Ruffalo certainly captured what a charismatic and likeable guy that everyone says Dave Schultz was. He also showed how much of a mentor Dave was for Mark.
Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Mark Schultz, in my opinion, was the best acting job in the movie. He was so good in that character that I forgot for a few hours that Tatum was the guy in “Magic Mike” and “21 Jump Street.” Tatum really captured the struggles that Mark Schultz went through despite being an Olympic gold medalist.
The movie received five Academy Award nominations, and I think they are very well-deserved.
I did have a few issues with some of the facts being altered, distorted and misrepresented, particularly the missing years between Mark Schultz wrestling in the 1988 Olympics and Dave Schultz’s murder in 1996.
The movie already runs well over two hours, and I’m sure it already had to be condensed with so much material and storyline to cover. But the missing 7½ years is the biggest issue I had with what was otherwise a very well-done movie.
I never met Dave Schultz, but I followed him and Mark closely as an aspiring wrestler while growing up just outside Iowa City. But I have had the opportunity to get to know Dave’s widow, Nancy, in recent years while covering the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs.
And some of the scenes hit me particularly hard because of having a personal connection with Nancy now. Nancy is one of the kindest and sweetest people you will ever meet.
I saw the movie this past weekend in a small theater at the Sycamore Mall in Iowa City. There were about 40 people in the theater, and you could’ve heard a pin drop in there even after the movie ended. It’s the quietest I’ve ever heard a theatre after the conclusion of a movie.
Needless to say, the movie certainly has had a strong and profound impact on a lot of people.
I had mixed emotions as I walked out of the theater. I thought it was a great movie, and the acting and production were outstanding.
But I felt really empty and basically speechless when I walked out of the eerily quiet theater. I didn’t like certain parts of it because a lot of the events hit pretty close to home for me.
It’s incredibly sad that the sport of wrestling lost such a great man like Dave Schultz, and in such a senseless way. He’s been gone for nearly 20 years now, but his positive impact on the sport is still being felt today by those who carry on his amazing legacy.
I’m glad we are keeping Dave’s memory alive at USA Wrestling by continuing to hold a tournament in his honor.
I was very happy when Nancy Schultz recently told me that she was pleased with the job that Mark Ruffalo did in playing her husband in the “Foxcatcher” movie.
Dave Schultz is definitely missed by so very many in the wrestling community and beyond.
Women’s wrestlers primed to make huge splash
Our USA Wrestling communications staff had a communications/media meeting with our women’s freestyle team this week.
We touch base with our entire women’s team, along with our men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman teams, at least once a year to talk about how to best promote them and for them to provide us feedback.
It was a very productive meeting, as it typically is, where we received great feedback from our top Senior-level women’s wrestlers.
Just looking around the room, it is exciting to think about how well this talented and experienced group can do on the mat over these next two years as we move closer to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Two-time World champion Adeline Gray, World champion Elena Pirozhkova, Olympic medalist Randi Miller, and two-time World medalists Alyssa Lampe, Helen Maroulis and Sally Roberts were among the top women’s stars at our meeting this week.
The American women are not only very good wrestlers, but a great group to work with along with being very articulate and well-spoken when working with the media.
The U.S. women have placed third in the World team standings the past two years, and they definitely have a shot at winning the World team title this year in Las Vegas.
It’s going to be fun to watch!
Who is No. 1? Hawkeyes or Gophers
The annual Iowa-Minnesota dual meet is typically one of the best in the season in college wrestling.
And this year is no exception. Both Big Ten powers have been ranked No. 1 all season in at least one national poll and both teams have the potential to be hoisting the gold trophy at March’s NCAA tournament in St. Louis.
The Hawkeyes and Gophers face off on Jan. 30 in Minneapolis. It will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Big Ten Network can do better
Watching college wrestling duals on the Big Ten Network is one of my favorite parts of the winter season. I record every dual and usually end up watching them when I get some free time at home.
The BTN announcing team of Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons and Shane Sparks is top-notch and they add plenty to the broadcasts.
I just wish BTN would show the best matchups. There are better duals, much better, than the Ohio State-Michigan State dual from East Lansing. C’mon BTN, we deserve better than that.
The Big Ten is the premier wrestling conference in the country and the Big Ten’s own network needs to make smarter decisions in terms of what matches are being shown.
BTN has done a good job showing more matches by having students call some of the better duals, like Penn State vs. Ohio State. But putting uniformed college kids on the duals really hurts the quality of the broadcast.
A student announcer for the Penn State-Ohio State dual referred to Nittany Lion coach Cael Sanderson as “Coach Sanders.” Really? The guy is the best college wrestler in history who has won an Olympic gold medal and the last four NCAA team titles.
Luckily, the backup Ohio State wrestler who was also on the broadcast jumped in and gave Sanderson the props he deserves.
I get that some of these kids may not know wrestling all that well, but at least do your homework. The fans deserve better than what BTN is providing.
Feel free to provide any feedback to me at csesker@usawrestling.org
It was a movie that I’ve very much wanted to see since they started filming it over two years ago.
First off, it’s one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. It is a very dark movie, and quite frankly very depressing and disturbing, as you see the actual events unfold that led to the murder of Olympic gold medalist Dave Schultz.
The actors are magnificent. I can’t say enough about what a great cast they put together for this movie and what a phenomenal job they did in telling this story.
Steve Carell’s portrayal of John du Pont is a huge departure for a guy who has made millions as a comedic actor. Carell was the perfect choice for this role and he nailed it. He deserves all of the critical acclaim that comes his way. John du Pont was obviously a deeply disturbed individual and Carell captured that well.
Mark Ruffalo certainly was the right choice to play Dave Schultz. He is known as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, and Ruffalo certainly captured what a charismatic and likeable guy that everyone says Dave Schultz was. He also showed how much of a mentor Dave was for Mark.
Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Mark Schultz, in my opinion, was the best acting job in the movie. He was so good in that character that I forgot for a few hours that Tatum was the guy in “Magic Mike” and “21 Jump Street.” Tatum really captured the struggles that Mark Schultz went through despite being an Olympic gold medalist.
The movie received five Academy Award nominations, and I think they are very well-deserved.
I did have a few issues with some of the facts being altered, distorted and misrepresented, particularly the missing years between Mark Schultz wrestling in the 1988 Olympics and Dave Schultz’s murder in 1996.
The movie already runs well over two hours, and I’m sure it already had to be condensed with so much material and storyline to cover. But the missing 7½ years is the biggest issue I had with what was otherwise a very well-done movie.
I never met Dave Schultz, but I followed him and Mark closely as an aspiring wrestler while growing up just outside Iowa City. But I have had the opportunity to get to know Dave’s widow, Nancy, in recent years while covering the Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs.
And some of the scenes hit me particularly hard because of having a personal connection with Nancy now. Nancy is one of the kindest and sweetest people you will ever meet.
I saw the movie this past weekend in a small theater at the Sycamore Mall in Iowa City. There were about 40 people in the theater, and you could’ve heard a pin drop in there even after the movie ended. It’s the quietest I’ve ever heard a theatre after the conclusion of a movie.
Needless to say, the movie certainly has had a strong and profound impact on a lot of people.
I had mixed emotions as I walked out of the theater. I thought it was a great movie, and the acting and production were outstanding.
But I felt really empty and basically speechless when I walked out of the eerily quiet theater. I didn’t like certain parts of it because a lot of the events hit pretty close to home for me.
It’s incredibly sad that the sport of wrestling lost such a great man like Dave Schultz, and in such a senseless way. He’s been gone for nearly 20 years now, but his positive impact on the sport is still being felt today by those who carry on his amazing legacy.
I’m glad we are keeping Dave’s memory alive at USA Wrestling by continuing to hold a tournament in his honor.
I was very happy when Nancy Schultz recently told me that she was pleased with the job that Mark Ruffalo did in playing her husband in the “Foxcatcher” movie.
Dave Schultz is definitely missed by so very many in the wrestling community and beyond.
Women’s wrestlers primed to make huge splash
Our USA Wrestling communications staff had a communications/media meeting with our women’s freestyle team this week.
We touch base with our entire women’s team, along with our men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman teams, at least once a year to talk about how to best promote them and for them to provide us feedback.
It was a very productive meeting, as it typically is, where we received great feedback from our top Senior-level women’s wrestlers.
Just looking around the room, it is exciting to think about how well this talented and experienced group can do on the mat over these next two years as we move closer to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Two-time World champion Adeline Gray, World champion Elena Pirozhkova, Olympic medalist Randi Miller, and two-time World medalists Alyssa Lampe, Helen Maroulis and Sally Roberts were among the top women’s stars at our meeting this week.
The American women are not only very good wrestlers, but a great group to work with along with being very articulate and well-spoken when working with the media.
The U.S. women have placed third in the World team standings the past two years, and they definitely have a shot at winning the World team title this year in Las Vegas.
It’s going to be fun to watch!
Who is No. 1? Hawkeyes or Gophers
The annual Iowa-Minnesota dual meet is typically one of the best in the season in college wrestling.
And this year is no exception. Both Big Ten powers have been ranked No. 1 all season in at least one national poll and both teams have the potential to be hoisting the gold trophy at March’s NCAA tournament in St. Louis.
The Hawkeyes and Gophers face off on Jan. 30 in Minneapolis. It will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Big Ten Network can do better
Watching college wrestling duals on the Big Ten Network is one of my favorite parts of the winter season. I record every dual and usually end up watching them when I get some free time at home.
The BTN announcing team of Tim Johnson, Jim Gibbons and Shane Sparks is top-notch and they add plenty to the broadcasts.
I just wish BTN would show the best matchups. There are better duals, much better, than the Ohio State-Michigan State dual from East Lansing. C’mon BTN, we deserve better than that.
The Big Ten is the premier wrestling conference in the country and the Big Ten’s own network needs to make smarter decisions in terms of what matches are being shown.
BTN has done a good job showing more matches by having students call some of the better duals, like Penn State vs. Ohio State. But putting uniformed college kids on the duals really hurts the quality of the broadcast.
A student announcer for the Penn State-Ohio State dual referred to Nittany Lion coach Cael Sanderson as “Coach Sanders.” Really? The guy is the best college wrestler in history who has won an Olympic gold medal and the last four NCAA team titles.
Luckily, the backup Ohio State wrestler who was also on the broadcast jumped in and gave Sanderson the props he deserves.
I get that some of these kids may not know wrestling all that well, but at least do your homework. The fans deserve better than what BTN is providing.
Feel free to provide any feedback to me at csesker@usawrestling.org
