Over 450 reviews

Year: 2017

Best and Worst Soccer Movies of 2017

Dec 28, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Notes

In 2017, an increasing number of soccer movies appeared on Amazon Prime and Netflix, most of them released in the last 3 years. As a result, I reviewed 35 films in 2017 as compared to 20 in 2016. Of the 35 films, 75% were documentaries, and few had theatrical distribution. Eoin O’Callaghan worked hard to…
‘The People of Nejmeh’ (2015) united in soccer

Dec 18, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Cultural, Documentary

The football stories of underdeveloped countries often reflect their nation’s politics. Elections need to be carefully planned around major sports events. Even in developed nations, politicians use sports to bolster approval, because everyone loves a winner.
[Review] ‘Save The Crew: The Fans vs The System’ (2017)

Dec 17, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Documentary

If they give an Oscar for brilliant documentary made under incredible time pressure, Save the Crew: The Fans vs the System wins hands down. It starts with the first #SaveTheCrew rally: Morgan Hughes: “This is not over! If you came here for a funeral, you’re in the wrong place!”Crowd chants: “We’re not done yet! We’re…
Stateless teams compete in ‘Desert Fire’ (2016)

Dec 16, 2017

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MJ-A

in Cultural, Documentary, Short

Working with the Bertha Foundation, The Guardian newspaper commissioned 12 short documentaries with global impact. Desert Fire covers a team representing Iraqi Kurdistan at the 2016 ConIFA World Cup.
‘Jules and Dolores’ (2016) – a classic dumb criminal movie

Dec 3, 2017

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MJ-A

in Comedy

O Roubo da Taça, which literally translates as “Theft of the Cup”, could have been a who-done-it about the heist of Brazil’s Jules Rimet trophy in 1983. Instead, Writer-Director Caito Ortiz made the story into a how-dumb-it comedy. You are constantly asking yourself, how dumb can these two guys be?
[Review] ‘Gold Stars: The Story of the FIFA World Cup Tournaments’ (2017)

Dec 1, 2017

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MJ-A

in Documentary

You could be 90 years old and remember the greatest moments of all the World Cups. Or you could watch Gold Stars: The Story of the FIFA World Cup Tournaments, released in advance of WC 2018 as a 2-disk set or via streaming.
‘New Generation Queens’ (2015) – when women can’t play football

Nov 28, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Cultural, Documentary

Megan went to Zanzibar and was looking for a pickup game. She found a women’s team called the New Generation Queens. They were getting chased off fields because Zanzibar is 99% Muslim, and women aren’t supposed to play football. But they prevail, and this pleasant little film, with an ethnographic story and a long title,…
’17’ (2017) is the Jordan we are meant to see

Nov 19, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Documentary

I viewed the documentary 17 at the 2017 Arab Film Festival in San Francisco. The purpose of the festival, now in its 21st year, is to challenge the Arab stereotypes that have been promulgated in American culture. The festival films “reflect the varied realities of Arab lives around the world.”
Football is medicine for ‘The Other Kids’ (2016)

Nov 13, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Documentary

First-time Director Pablo de la Chica initially set out to make a documentary about the young Ugandan players who had a chance to visit FC Barcelona in 2007. While investigating, de la Chica found Mubiru Reagan playing soccer in a garbage dump near the Mandela National Stadium. The landfill is heavy with the toxic smell…
Review: ‘The Streets Don’t Lie’ (2017)

Oct 20, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Documentary

The Streets Don’t Lie is a 3-episode mini-series from the 2017 season of Red Bull TV. Each 27-minute episode follows former French International Djibril Cissé as he travels to London, Berlin, and Paris. In each city, he interviews 3 candidates, from which he selects one player to train with a Red Bull academy for one…
Style and skill in ‘Concrete Football’ (2016)

Oct 18, 2017

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MJ-A

in Documentary

After the USMNT debacle of failing to qualify for WC 2018, Americans are arguing how to create the best players in the world. Polemists should watch Ballon sur Bitume. Directors Jesse Adang and Syrine Boulanouar show how, in France, some of the most skilled players are rising from small playing fields in the hood.
More FIFA corruption in ‘The March of the White Elephants’ (2015)

Sep 24, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Documentary

In The March of the White Elephants, Director Craig Tanner continues the work he began with his first film, exposing the societal insanity of spending billions on stadiums for a one month soccer party.
The bad guys win in ‘Forever Pure’ (2016)

Sep 2, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Cultural, Documentary

As told to Director Maya Zinshtein, what goes on in a stadium is not just a mirror of society, but indicates the direction society is going. Forever Pure is a uniquely panoptic film of soccer and society. We see that football clubs can be a toy for oligarchs, a tool for politicians, a burning torch…
Review: ‘Como no te voy a Querer’ (2008)

Aug 18, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Drama

This teen melodrama about a working class family in Mexico City is both hard to watch and hard to stop watching. The story is a well-crafted, methodical train wreck of the bad decisions people make to derail their own lives.
‘Monkey in the Middle’ (2014) has one redeeming grace

Aug 15, 2017

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MJ-A

in Kids

This film is a reason to hate Canada—for producing a movie that is such a chore to watch. Monkey in the Middle—or as it’s titled on Netflix, It’s a Zoo in Here—has one redeeming grace. Graham Zusi (known as Saint Zusi to Mexico fans) is the inspiration when the main character takes a free kick.
Clever story but poor animation in ‘K-9 World Cup’ (2016)

Aug 13, 2017

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MJ-A

in Comedy, Kids

A movie about dogs and soccer should be a winner—the most popular topics on the internet, right? K-9 World Cup is indeed a very clever story which made me chuckle throughout. A coach has one month to recruit and train the MexiCanine National Team for the Canine World Cup.
‘The Nation Holds Its Breath’ (2016) in Ireland’s first World Cup

Aug 11, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Comedy, Short

In 1990, a young Irishman’s anticipation of his child’s birth coincides with the breathless anticipation of his nation as it competes in the World Cup for the first time.
Romanian corruption in ‘Craiova versus Craiova’ (2016)

Aug 5, 2017

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MJ-A

in Documentary

What is the most extraordinary aspect of the documentary Craiova versus Craiova? It’s not that 2 teams claimed to be the same club and then played each other in the Romanian Second Division. What’s amazing is that this excellent film was created by a student as his senior journalism project at a Brazilian university. Director…
Could ‘George Best: All by Himself’ (2016) happen today?

Aug 2, 2017

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MJ-A

in Documentary

Director Daniel Gordon brings different insights to his @ESPN3030 George Best movie, but is the story even relevant today? Players now are too valuable to let fail.
Notes: New front page for soccermoviemom

Jul 23, 2017

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by

MJ-A

in Notes

Many wordpress pundits tell you that to draw visitors, you need a compelling front page, also known as a landing page or home page. I was using the default wordpress home page of the most recent posts. It turned out that to create an attractive static front page, I had to transition from the WordPress…