Recently caught a couple of documentaries on Netflix, and since they were marginally strength related, I figured I'd mention them here.
The first was Strongman, staring Stanless Steel, who is a strongman here in the northeast specializing in the rather narrow field of grip strength and a few other strongman stunts. Stan is a likable fellow, but the film is like something out of an Arbus picture or Harmony Korine film come to life.
Throughout the film you see him dealing with the trials and tribulations of being an aging strongman while splitting time between his parent's car port and his long suffering girlfriend's 1 bedroom apartment. You also see him dealing with douche bag promoters for his strongman show which never really gets off the ground. And a cast of characters that range from a crack smoking younger brother to a bewildered grade school class.
The film is one giant douche chill from start to finish. Well worth the watch if you're into films like Gummo or The Wonderful Wacky Whites of West Virginia.
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The second film is "Holes in My Shoes" Which follows the life of Jack Beers. The film traces the life of Beers from a poor child born on the lower east side of Ny, through his time as a semi professional strongman under Warren Lincoln Travis and Sig Breitbart, to being one of the head ironworkers on construction of Radio City Music Hall, then on to his work on the Manhattan Project during WWII, and finally his stint as a character actor during the 70's and 80's.
While the story may seem like standard PBS fare, the man is so likable, and story so special, that it transcends being boring.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holes_in_My_Shoes .
