This Magic Moment (2016)
In the mid-1990s, Orlando was the center of excitement in the NBA. The young franchise, led by mega-stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, beat the mighty Bulls en route to the 1995 NBA Finals. While it was clear Orlando was a dynasty in the making, the Magic's moment on top was never fully realized.
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Best movie of this year hands down!
Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
If you are a true basketball fan, I am willing to bet this is one you will not forget. Some might say the Magic only had a short run, that is the entire point behind this fascinating and high octane episode. They show up out of nowhere as an expansion team in a sleepy sports town (Huh?). Two number one draft picks in a row (nearly impossible)! Picking Chris Webber #1 and trading for Penny and more (nearly inconceivable!). Close out the Bulls (nearly impossible). Then face the Rockets in the finals? Remember Drexler and Olajuwan played together at Houston, their team was flashy and got upset by Jimmy V's Cinderella NC State (there is a 30 for 30 on this called Survive and Advance). So ironically, the Cinderella flashy streetball Magic are on the verge of upsetting the Rockets. Then it all disappeared overnight, like Magic. An endless barrage of highlights featuring the NBAs best players with some humorous explanations and insight into the real story behind the Magic.
30 for 30: This Magic Moment (2016) *** (out of 4) Another good entry in the ESPN series has filmmakers Gentry Kirby and Erin Leyden looking at the rise of the Orlando Magic. This documentary covers the franchise coming into the NBA, their first few awful seasons and then the luck of getting back-to-back top picks in the draft where they'd select Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway.For the most part this here is an entertaining documentary, although the subject itself really isn't all that interesting . I mean, the Magic had a two year great run so I'm just not sure this type of "run" was needing a two hour documentary. We hear from the two leads and many of the supporting people as we hear about them getting over the hump and beating the Chicago Bulls but lacking against the Houston Rockets. We also look at how Hardaway and Little Penny became a world-wide sensation. Of course, how the story ends is also quite interesting.There's certainly nothing awful here but I just don't feel the subject needed the extra running time.