football coach – Michmutters
Categories
Entertainment

Thirteen Lives: Ron Howard and Joel Edgerton on their Thai Cave Rescue movie

You only have to utter the words “Thai Cave Rescue” and almost anyone would know exactly what you’re talking about.

The extraordinary story of the international effort to save 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave system is remembered not just for the complicated rescue but for its triumphant ending.

“I remember when it first happened,” Joel Edgerton told news.com.au.

“Look, I’m a bit cynical. Whenever there’s a news event, particularly one that’s either super tragic or one that is incredibly positive – and this one was both, it started tragic and ended positively – I would sit with friends and say, ‘There will be a movie about that any minute now’.

“I’m sure producers were swooping into north Thailand at the time, trying to buy up the story. I never imagined I’d be part of it.”

The “it” is Thirteen Livesa dramatization of the Thai Cave Rescue by director Ron Howard and screenwriter William Nicholson.

Edgerton portrays Adelaide diver and anaesthetist Richard Harris alongside Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell who took on the roles of British divers Richard Stanton and John Volanthen.

It was inevitable that the story would be catnip to moviemakers, but when it’s a tale that was already so well-documented at the time, what could Hollywood add to it?

Perennial filmmaker Howard knew he had a task on his hands, but he also knew that the story was worth dramatizing because narrative film offers audiences a specific emotional connection.

“The role of a dramatized version of events is to be visceral and emotional and reach into people’s nervous systems with the truth of the story and the spirit of the story,” Howard told news.com.au.

“When audiences connect with the characters, which has to do to some extent with the writing but a lot to do with the actors, and this is a great ensemble cast, you begin to understand how difficult some of the choices (during the rescue operation ) were.

“When you present characters as very relatable, modern people, any of us could understand the logic of what it was and what they were thinking or going through. Then you begin to develop empathy.

“That’s something a scripted, dramatized version offers audiences, a kind of empathy bridge. That creates suspense because you might know what the overall outcome was, but you don’t know what the cost was for these individuals.

“You don’t know what the baggage was, the physical, personal or emotional injury was – so those are stakes as well.”

Edgerton said that even though he had kept up with the Thai Cave Rescue’s news cycle, he didn’t know how agonizing a decision it was for Dr Harris to agree to sedate the kids so they could be ferried out through the dangerous cave system which challenged even the most experienced of specialist divers.

Thirteen Lives really helps to humanize the people involved, Edgerton contended.

“(The sedation plan) was a very controversial decision. I’ve read Richard’s book and I’ve since had conversations with him – he wasn’t around when we were shooting – but I watched numerous interviews and it really underlined for me the steps it took for him to agree to do something that he thought was such a highwire act in terms of whether it would work,” Edgerton said.

“Helping them may result in the death of the boys but if you didn’t try something or didn’t agree to help try that thing, all the boys would have likely died anyway. The weight of that decision, I found, was extraordinarily emotional. He’s an unbelievably thoughtful and wonderful man.”

Howard said the real-life counterparts, including Stanton and Volanthen, whose life rights form the basis of Thirteen Livestrusted him to tell their story, citing his treatment of true events movies Apollo 13, Rush and A Beautiful Mind.

“They could see from the beginning that my own antenna was tuned towards integrity,” the filmmaker explained. “I didn’t want to amp things up. I didn’t need to.”

The resulting film is an expansive, thoughtful and measured rendering, one which may have centered the story of the British and Australian divers, but makes a conscious effort to pay tribute to the vast network of people involved in the rescue effort.

Such as that of Thai-American water engineer Thanet Natisri, who took it upon himself to co-ordinate a group of local volunteers to stop water pouring from Doi Nang Non mountain into the cave system.

At one point during the operation, the volunteers ran out of the pipe they were using to divert the water to the rice fields below.

Howard revealed: “I was talking to the real Thanet and I said, ‘How did you solve it?’ and he said, ‘One of the local villagers, one of the elders just said he could help and they split bamboo and made them into troughs that they lashed to the pipes’. And he showed me photos of it.”

Howard thought the ingenuity was brilliant and he included that detail in Thirteen Lives.

There was always the risk that a Thai story centered on three white divers could veer into white savior territory. Howard, having now also made several documentaries, understood the story is only complete when you contextualize those characters’ place in the bigger picture.

“I was aware of (the white savior complex) and particularly when I began to understand that, yes, the foreigners, these Brits and an Australian, came in and accomplished this thing. That was vital and, without a doubt, heroic.

“But none of it would have happened with this amazing support system and that was not without risks – physical, emotional, political, career-wise – and I thought that was all fascinating.

“I was really interested in letting people understand what made it all possible. Because it goes deeper than just some really dynamic, talented people with a specific skill coming in and rescuing the kids.”

Edgerton, one of Australia’s great acting and filmmaking exports, gave Howard credit for spinning so many plates.

“There are no Hollywood histrionics or over-sentimentality about what went down. He kept so many characters’ stories alive and paying tribute to the community at large, about the global community of care that went in and the volunteerism – the village that is willing to flood their fields, the people pitching in to divert the water, people feeding everybody that was there to help.”

Thirteen Lives is but one piece of the Thai Cave Rescue tapestry. It follows The Cavea 2019 indie movie from director Tom Waller, and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s widely-acclaimed documentary The Rescue.

Then there’s a Netflix miniseries, which has the life rights to the football team, that will premiere later this year.

Edgerton sees Thirteen Lives and The Rescue as complementary – “the more the merrier!”

“Perpetuate great stories, you want to tell them, you want to pass them along,” Edgerton said.

“It’s a story that reminds us, particularly at the time we’ve been going through, of what human beings are capable of when we get together. Our core value is that we care and that we want to help and that we’re human.

“We see so many signs of the opposite every night when we watch the news or when we click on a story. It’s a great time to tell a story about when human beings do the right thing with each other, when the impossible becomes possible.”

Thirteen Lives is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video

.

Categories
Sports

Ricky Stuart spray, Jaeman Salmon history, Ricky Stuart son, Cronulla Sharks juniors, Penrith Panthers, weak gutted dog, news

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has confirmed an investigation will be launched into Ricky Stuart’s stunning spray aimed at Panthers young gun Jaeman Salmon — as details of the history between the pair has been revealed.

Speaking on the Big Sports Breakfast, Abdo said the NRL Integrity Unit would be looking into the matter, and The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield also explained ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is “aware of the full background”.

The bad-blood reportedly stems from Salmon’s time in the Cronulla Sharks junior system 12-years-ago and an incident with Stuart’s son, who played in the same team, according to the SMH.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Stuart’s son was reportedly reduced to tears following an incident with Salmon in 2010.

Stuart then made comments which saw Salmon’s father get involved.

The dads then had a heated exchange and had to be separated.

“Not pleasant, I spoke to Ricky late last night and I have spoken to him again this morning,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast.

“He knows that this happened a long long time ago, involving junior football and his son and I think that is common knowledge.

“But Ricky last night chose the wrong platform to speak out about it, and his choice of words were probably inappropriate.”

Sims distract after Tracey KO | 00:37

Rothfield also called for all parties to sit down and mediate the situation which has “lingered on for a long time”.

“I think they (NRL) will have to (investigate), I think there has been quite a significant public outrage over Ricky’s choice of words and again the platform of a press conference,” Rothfield said.

“They will certainly investigate it.

“I would like to see them do it properly and maybe get all parties involved, because it has obviously lingered on for a long time and it is not good for the game when things like that blow up like it did last night.”

MORE NRL NEWS

‘WEAK GUTTED DOG’: Ricky’s stunning spray aimed at Panthers star over low blow

‘OPTICS DON’T LOOK GREAT’: Stuart under fire over ‘very personal’ outburst

BIG HITS: Brave Edwards leads Panthers to victory as Raiders’ finals hopes fade

GONE: Dragons shock call to sack NRL great as coaching clean out continues

Stuart labeled the Panthers playmaker a “weak gutted dog” in his post-match press conference, referencing his previous run-ins with Salmon.

The 23-year-old was placed on report for kicking out at Canberra dummy-half Tom Starling in a tackle.

“But where Salmon kicked Tommy (Starling), it ain’t on,” Stuart said.

Canberra Raiders press conference | 06:28

“I have had history with that kid (Salmon). I know that kid very well.

“He was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He is a weak gutted dog person now.”

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary chose not to respond to Stuart’s comments, and Rothfield explained the Raiders coach’s biggest problem is his inability to control his emotions.

“I am very close to Ricky and we know how emotional he gets,” Rothfield said.

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!

“Ricky’s biggest problem as a football coach and even when he was a player, he is one of those guys that gets so emotionally worked up.

“He has never been good at controlling those emotions, and you can say it wasn’t in the heat of battle, but after you have lost an important game you are still worked up.

“You aren’t thinking as clearly.

“I am not defending him at all, but it is a difficult one for the NRL to manage, I know Peter V’landys is aware of the full background so it is going to be an important story.”

.

Categories
Entertainment

Thai cave rescue movie Thirteen Lives avoids cheap Hollywood tricks

You have to hand it to American director Ron Howard for resisting the temptation of “Hollywood-ising” the true story of the Thai Cave Rescue.

But when a tale is as extraordinary and as well-known as the 2018 rescue of 12 children and their football coach from a flooded cave, any cheap movie tricks to over-egg the events would’ve been patently obvious.

Everyone knows at least the broad strokes of those 18 intense days. More importantly, everyone knows the ending, so you can’t inject false suspense, especially when the real ones were already so insane.

As a dramatisation, Thirteen Lives follows an excellent Nat Geo documentary feature, a less successful indie film and precedes a Netflix miniseries. The Thai Cave Rescue is a great story so it’s catnip to storytellers.

Howard’s film is a restrained but still gripping retelling, led by a commitment to realism and a deep respect for all those involved. You can feel that belief in the best of people at the worst possible moment coursing through the veins of the film, and it powers Thirteen Lives‘ hold on the audience.

Starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton, the narrative is primarily built around the two British cave divers Richard Stanton (Mortensen) and John Volanthen (Farrell) who first located the missing boys more than a week after they were last seen.

And that of Australian diver and anaesthetist Richard Harris (Edgerton) who was recruited into the mission because of his specialist skill.

Thirteen Lives delves into the ethical quandaries and hesitations over the agonizing decision to sedate the boys so they can be retrieved through a treacherous system of tunnels in the five-hour long dive.

While we know it was ultimately a successful mission, the personal cost to those involved have a particular punch in the hands of accomplished actors and Howard’s steady instinct skills and sound as a director.

Those scenes, while quiet and almost ruminative compared to the dive sequences, are what distinguishes Thirteen Lives from the best documentary takes on the events. The Nat Geo doco The Rescue is a riveting work but there is something distinct – not better, just different – ​​about a dramatisation.

Of course, the signature piece of Thirteen Lives is those dive sequences. It’s not going for documentary verisimilitude but there is a realism to the underwater scenes.

Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, a frequent collaborator of the esteemed filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, does a beautiful job in evoking the intensity of those moments.

The water is murky, the currents are forceful and sometimes you can’t see what’s going on, effectively recreating the challenging conditions which all the divers operated under, highlighting how near-impossible their mission was.

Thirteen Lives centers Stanton and Volanthen experiences because it’s their life rights the filmmakers have. But despite that, the film largely avoids any unsavory white savior complex narratives, casting its net wider by giving time to the many, many people involved in the rescue.

That includes the Thai navy Seals, including Saman Kunan (Sukollawat Kanarot), the man who died during the mission, Narongsak Osatanakorn (Sahajack Boonthanakit), the governor co-ordinating the operation and Thanet Natisri (Nophand Boonyai), the water engineer leading a large group of volunteers atop the mountain in trying to stem the water flowing into the caves.

The film captures the scale of the operation and the strength of that co-operation, even if it can’t give enough attention to every experience. There are sections that feel rushed and stories that seem untold, but not even a two-and-a-half-hour movie has the time for everything.

And the boys’ perspective will be the focus of the upcoming miniseries Thai Cave Rescue after the team struck a deal with Netflix for their life rights.

Thirteen Lives is not the complete story but it’s an enthralling piece of a phenomenal moment.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thirteen Lives is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video

.

Categories
Entertainment

Colin Farrell had ‘terrifying’ panic attacks filming Thirteen Lives

Colin Farrell didn’t have a great time filming Thirteen Lives.

“Terrifying, in a word. Terrifying,” the Irish actor told Entertainment Tonight at the film’s premiere Thursday night while describing the experience, reported Page Six.

The Ron Howard-directed movie recounts the real-life 2018 rescue of a dozen young boys and their football coach who were trapped in the flooded Tham Luang cave in Thailand.

Farrell, 46, confessed to feeling particularly frightened filming extreme underwater scenes.

“It was scary. I’m not a great swimmer anyway, not that we were swimming, not that we were treading water — we had to stay on the surface — but they built a really impressive network of caves,” the In Bruges star shared.

“It was about four or five different caves that were based on the topography of the caves, the Tham Luang caves in Thailand, and they filled them full of water, and we’d go down and there was no up.”

Farrell, who plays rescue diver John Volanthen, added that not being able to see the water’s surface was horrifying and “just wreaks havoc on [the] mind.” He even shared that he experienced panic attacks underwater, which he called a “new experience.”

However, the True Detective alum explained that all the underwater scenes did not improve his aquatic abilities, adding that being a rescue diver is “a very particular skill set.”

Farrell was not the only star on set who struggled with the intense scenes.

His co-star Viggo Mortensen, who plays real-life hero Richard Stanton, shared that he, too, panicked at one point while filming.

“All of a sudden I couldn’t breathe,” the Green Book star, 63, told People. “It seemed like a long time, but it was only a matter of seconds. I panicked.”

Although he managed to remember his training and switch the mouthpiece to the oxygen tank, Mortensen acknowledged that “it’s not that complicated, but at the moment, it’s hard to think clearly.”

The movie also stars Joel Edgerton, Tom Bateman and Paul Gleeson.

Thirteen Lives is on Amazon Prime Video from Friday, August 5.

This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced here with permission

.