Touches You

Overrated and overhyped

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Jeremy Lin is Linsanity. He seemed to be this silent hero in America. His laid back character and nothingness seemed to contribute to our day and age. Within the film shots of this story, there seemed to be a story within a story. Was this movie about Jeremy Lin or was it about basketball or the American Dream or was this whole story about God? Was Jeremy Lin mentally ill or selfish? Was his euphoric state of zoning while he was winning on the basketball court nothing more than a hallucination in the waking sense and was he not only thinking about himself versus the whole team when he prayed to God and let God take over in what Jeremy Lin mentioned as an out of body experience. Is not God to help all team members and opponents and do we not live a life where selflessness versus selfishness is considered to be more holy? Jeremy Lin seemed to lose himself in a religious trance on the basketball court however was the game about Jeremy as an individual or as player in Gods Master Plan? If Jeremy Lin perceives himself merely a player in God's Master Plan for him, does that mean he is merely a puppet and God pulling the strings? Would it not be more human to combine God with self so that man has a say in his own unique narrative? An independent journey laced with divinity.

"I want to be like Mike...but I PRAY to be like Lin!" How often do you meet a sports figure whom you really, really like? One forged so solidly in his faith that you can gain inspiration from every phase of his life, not just the limelight? Fortunately for us, Lin's family had so much footage that it seems we saw this kid grow up next door to us. That's the mark of good parenting and good editing and directing on the part of Evan Jackson Leong. Lin's character hasn't changed, though his circumstances have been whirlwind. How inspirational for the world to see how someone from such a humble background can become propelled to the heights of international fame. The watchword: be ready. This may be a spoiler, both for the film and the game of life, but the good guy wins here, and it isn't a fluke. Lin won by hard work, persistence, and the grace of God. Lin stayed faithful. Let's hope (yes, and pray) that Lin and so many other athletes (and budding chemists, plumbers, and CPAs) will keep trying, believing, and teaching us the importance of walking by faith, not by sight. (That's in the Rulebook, 2 Corinthians 5:7) AfroPixFlix offers eight forks (and they're not pitchforks) for this one. See it. Share it. Talk it up, fans.

I had the pleasure of seeing Linsanity this evening at the SXSW Film Festival. The film was extremely warmly received. After the showing, we were joined by not only the director and crew, but by the one and only Jeremy Lin himself. The director and his crew did an excellent job in presenting a very personal and moving portrait of Jeremy, his struggles to overcome stereotypes, and particularly how he drew strength from his faith and his culture. The film benefited from the fact that the crew started film Jeremy several years ago when he was a senior at Harvard and long before his rise to international stardom last year. They were thus able to show the story of his high school and college careers when he had gained some recognition, but was not a huge star. The level of racism that he encountered was quite disturbing. Jeremy's strength in the face of adversity is truly inspiring. I expect that this film will be picked up by ESPN and broadcast widely in the next few months. The film should be appealing to both sports fans and non- sports fans. While it is the journey of an athlete, it is really a story of perseverance and hard work that goes beyond just the realm of sports and should be widely relevant to people who have struggled in a wide variety of endeavors.

"Linsanity" is an actual word, except no one has the actual definition. The most common terminology may be "the awesome feeling of Jeremy Lin winning the ultimate basketball game". My father and I loved watching basketball games together. This is the story of Jeremy Lin's love for this sport and the reality of getting into the NBA. Jeremy Lin is a man of faith and expresses it to us in this documentary. Director Evan Leong stated at the Sundance Q&A the film started out only as a web series and turned into something greater. The story starts with his game against the LA Lakers facing off the legendary LeBron James. Those of us who know Jeremy Lin will already predict the end result but even find a deeper understanding of this incredible player. Leong did a fantastic job bringing this player to life. My only complaint would be the large amount of archival footage and him playing basketball and NBA games. We see that on TV all the time when there needed to be more of knowing him as a character. Great job from the entire team and I hope you get this film for the world to see.