Year: 2017
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Only watch ‘Hotshot’ (1987) to enjoy Pelé
To describe Bill King’s Hotshot in the vernacular of the 1980s, most of the time, this is a hokey soccer movie. But Hotshot is still worth watching, if only for the 20 minutes that Pelé is on-screen.
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The poverty around WC 2010 is ‘Meanwhile in Mamelodi’ (2011)
During the month the 2010 World Cup is played in South Africa, Director Benjamin Kahlmeyer shows the life that goes on, meanwhile, in the impoverished township of Mamelodi. The township is only 16 miles from Loftus Stadium, but residents’ interaction is mostly limited to buying noisy vuvuzuelas and enjoying Bafana Bafana’s games on small black…
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Turkish fans under oppression in ‘Ayaktakimi’ (2015)
In Turkey, Supporters Groups are the real fans, and everyone else is just a spectator. Filmmakers Naz Gündogdu and Friedemann Pitschak have documented a life that Americans have not yet experienced: being a fan in the face of political oppression.
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Being ‘Men in The Arena’ (2017) helps exit Somalia
Men in the Arena comes to your screen in the time of the xenophobic Trump Administration. It took over 3 years for Writer-Director J.R. Biersmith to deliver his tale of 2 young Somalian footballers, whose steadfast friendship and soccer skills are crucial in bringing them to the USA.
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Is biopic ‘For the Glory’ (2012) more fiction than fact?
I have mixed feelings about the faith-based film For the Glory. Realtors Chris and Katherine Craddock wrote this screenplay about their fellow church member Kurt Kuykendall. His faith helped him overcome a privileged but difficult upbringing.
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‘Wonderkid’ (2016) has a wondrous film production
For a guy taking his first steps in creating a film, Director Rhys Chapman made all the right moves. He strategically took Wonderkid from awareness campaign, to fund raising, through a 5-day shoot, and then to fruition. All along, his mission was to educate viewers by portraying homophobia and the need to counter it by…
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‘Win!’ (2016) is a good documentary and not an infomercial
Last week, the NYCFC documentary Win! showed up on the NY Yankees YES cable channel. I reluctantly did my duty, because after all, who wants to watch a movie with an exclamation point in the title?
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![[Review] ‘Les Bleus: Une Autre Histoire de France’ (2016)](https://soccermoviemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/les-bleus.jpg)
[Review] ‘Les Bleus: Une Autre Histoire de France’ (2016)
Les Bleus: Another History of France maps the French football team performance with the nation’s social struggles from 1996-2016. But does the film convey an implicit bias? It is unique in that it does not whitewash the team’s history, and it leaves much to think about.
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A gritty insider’s view of ‘Going Pro: American Soccer’ (2014)
Going Pro: American Soccer is a gritty insider’s view of the young men on the 2012 Brooklyn Knights, then a 4th division amateur PDL team. Director Sebastian Podesta captures tough moments as the Knights struggle to light up the scoreboard. Players aspire to become paid professionals, and a winning record is essential for any of…
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‘The Romanov Revolution’ (2005) – a Russian oligarch story
Evil Russian men come in many stereotypes: dictators, KGB, hackers, hooligans, doping athletes, oligarchs, and football team owners. The Romanov Revolution is a 2005 BBC Frontline Scotland TV documentary about Vladimir Romanov, then new owner of Heart of Midlothian FC, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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A buddy trip through Ireland and its ‘Celtic Soul’ (2016)
Jay Baruchel and Eoin O’Callaghan drive across Ireland in search of Jay’s Irish roots and their shared Celtic Soul. It’s a self-described collection of lovely moments tied together within the larger context of what it means to be an immigrant, to be Irish, and to be a fan of Celtic FC.
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‘Jack to a King’ (2014) – the fans saved Swansea once upon a time
Jack to a King – The Swansea Story is a love song to the supporters of Swansea City AFC, who saved the club from obliteration. Director Marc Evans tells an intricate story of how Swansea survived and then rose to the Premier League.
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Trying to qualify for WC 2010 in ‘Laduma! Benin’s Journey’ (2011)
Part travelogue, part cultural anthropology, and part football history, Director Richard Shepherd’s film Laduma! Benin’s Journey captures an insider’s view as a small African nation tries to qualify for WC 2010.
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‘Russia’s Hooligan Army’ (2017) is painfully real
Thinking of going to WC 2018? Watch Russia’s Hooligan Army. It may change your mind, especially if you are British and male. This BBC TV documentary starts with news footage of the Russian hooligan attacks at Euro 2016. Then, it turns the spigot on full blast in sensationalist interviews with Russian supporters group leaders, who…
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‘The Prize’ (2014) teaches how religion can help athletes
Video evangelism is a soccer movie genre I haven’t reviewed until now. I was contacted by filmmaker Shawn Keith, who created The Prize: Under Pressure for sports chaplains. His 26-minute piece is well-done, interspersing World Cup footage with testimonials by international players. The most well-known of these is Kaká, and Americans will all recognize USMNT…
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Best Soccer Movies for Romance (2018)
Okay, you met this really nice, attractive, athletic, tries hard, never gives up, gets sweaty, male or female on the pitch. You both love soccer. Or, you already have your significant soccer soulmate and Valentine’s Day is coming up.
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Remembering the Zambian NT in ‘Eighteam’ (2014)
As much as I like parts of the film Eighteam, much of it circumnavigates the tragic plane crash that killed almost the entire Zambian National Team on April 27, 1993, off the coast of Gabon.
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Review: ‘San Bernardino Alive and Kicking’ (2016)
Rockerrazzi Filmz makes visual branding videos for up-and-coming rock stars. So I wondered why Producer-Director Jared Sagal created this very good hour-long documentary about SoCal SC, a 4th division soccer team in San Bernardino.
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Soccer Movies When You’re Depressed
Has life got you so far down, you can’t get off the couch? Your significant other left you? Your best friend lost your phone number? Your child wants someone else to be his/her parent? Your parent wants someone else to be his/her child? You’ve been in 4 years of despair with President #45 and he…
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The frenzy of favela futebol in ‘Campo de Jogo’ (2014)
Campo de Jogo (Sunday Ball) is a kinematic metaphor for Brazilian soccer. Director Eryk Rocha lays bare the intense emotions of favela futebol. He assembles a film that is both documentary and cinematic art. It was shown at New York’s MOMA and is similar to, but much better than, the 2006 art piece on Zidane.
