Author: MJ-A
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A refugee soccer camp in ‘Beirut Parc’ (2016)
Refugees comprise 20% of the population of Lebanon. If the USA had a similar percentage, the entire populations of New York and California would be refugees. To counter the effects of such chaos on Lebanon, international organizations like the United Nations try to help the children.
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Football as bridge or barrier in ‘End of Summer’ (2017)
End of Summer immerses you in the WC 1998 memories of Director Quan Zhou. Like the protagonist in his film, he was 11 years old, living in a compound in Shaoxing, when the World Cup was first broadcast live in China. Boys of his generation became fans of football and of players like Del Piero.
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In the Hooligan genre: ‘White Collar Hooligan 3’ (2014)
After The Football Factory, I swore I wouldn’t watch any more Hooligan movies. They seem to be a genre of violence, sex, and drugs, with a little bit of football as context. As in, we gotta go to a West Ham game on the way to the violence, sex, and drugs we are going to…
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‘Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story’ (2017) overlooks assault
Whether you are straight or gay, Forbidden Games documents a story that is tough to watch. As his brother John has noted, if Justin Fashanu had been born 30 years later, he would have been a hero. Instead, Justin’s life story is filled with regret from almost all who knew him. Stop right there, I’m…
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‘Early Man’ (2018) is a remarkable piece of art and football
What’s not to like about Nick Park and Aardman Animations’ Early Man? Apparently it depends on whether your country favors the round or pointy kind of football. Whereas UK reviews are all positive, American reviews included comments as nasty as “Who cares if cavemen could play soccer?”
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Is ‘Flitzer’ (2017) the funniest soccer movie ever?
A comedy about streaking sounds like a joke that would run out of steam fast. When introducing Flitzer (aka Streaker) at the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival in San Francisco, the announcer acknowledged the Swiss stereotype of being so serious all the time. He then proceeded to tell the one Swiss joke that exists, which…
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Social media eclipses the score in ‘Funny Soccer’ (2016)
Director Lam Tze Chung, who played the fat monk in Shaolin Soccer, has put together an enjoyable family film that explores what happens on the pitch when social media becomes more important than scoring.
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Review: ‘I Scored a Goal in the FIFA World Cup Final’ (2010)
I Scored a Goal in the FIFA World Cup Final is such a hokey title, that I thought this film must be a spoof. But no, it is an ESPN compilation of interviews of the then 33 remaining players who had actually done the deed, up through WC 2010.
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Best and Worst Soccer Movies of 2017
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…
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‘The People of Nejmeh’ (2015) united in soccer
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.
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![[Review] ‘Save The Crew: The Fans vs The System’ (2017)](https://soccermoviemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/save-the-crew-logo-e1632518380335.jpg)
[Review] ‘Save The Crew: The Fans vs The System’ (2017)
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…
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Stateless teams compete in ‘Desert Fire’ (2016)
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.
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‘Jules and Dolores’ (2016) – a classic dumb criminal movie
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?
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![[Review] ‘Gold Stars: The Story of the FIFA World Cup Tournaments’ (2017)](https://soccermoviemom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gold-stars.jpg)
[Review] ‘Gold Stars: The Story of the FIFA World Cup Tournaments’ (2017)
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.
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‘New Generation Queens’ (2015) – when women can’t play football
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,…
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’17’ (2017) is the Jordan we are meant to see
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.”
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Football is medicine for ‘The Other Kids’ (2016)
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…
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Review: ‘The Streets Don’t Lie’ (2017)
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…
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Style and skill in ‘Concrete Football’ (2016)
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.
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More FIFA corruption in ‘The March of the White Elephants’ (2015)
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.
