Tag: R8

in Comedy, Kids

Why did Underdogs go straight to DVD? This is a fun family film, and to my knowledge is the first soccer movie that is an animated full-length feature film. I saw the trailer at the theater and ever since, I had been keeping an eye out for its release.

‘Bounce: How the Ball Taught the World to Play’ (2015)

Dec 22, 2015

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Jerome Thelia’s Bounce is a fascinating and thought-provoking documentary that explores why ball play is so instinctive and important to us. According to the researchers, ‘A ball game is a microcosm of our lives’, and sport is a combination of tribalism and brilliant storytelling. That’s pretty heavy stuff (and there’s more), but the filmmakers present convincing…

‘World Cup Soccer in Africa: Who Really Wins?’ (2010)

Dec 18, 2015

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Originally titled Fahrenheit 2010, this film provides reams of detail on the issues and controversy around hosting the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In Nov-Dec 2008, first-time Director Craig Tanner interviews leaders on both sides in the country.

‘AFC Bournemouth: Together, Anything is Possible’ (2015)

Oct 19, 2015

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Roger Bennett, the wisecracking word-swilling nipple-tugging right half of Men in Blazers, created this stirring tale of AFC Bournemouth, known as the Cherries. He turns up the drama as AFCB rises from the pit of two successive bankruptcies and near relegation to the EPL in just 7 seasons.

Imaginative combo of parkour + soccer in ‘Teufelskicker’ (2010)

Oct 1, 2015

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in Kids

Teufelskicker is a kick of a football film. It is a well-crafted movie based on the eponymous German children’s books by Frauke Nahrgang.

‘The Opposition’ (2014) – Chile’s national stadium used for torture

Jun 19, 2015

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in Documentary, Short

I watched The Opposition last year but didn’t write about it because the film was so disturbing. This ESPN 30 for 30 TV episode documents how General Pinochet’s junta tortured and killed dissidents. They used the Chilean national stadium as a prison while the team prepared to qualify for WC 1974.

In ‘Will’ (2011) a child never walks alone

May 17, 2015

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in Drama, Kids

Within the short list of soccer films directed by women, there is a surprising number of Americans who have directed ostensibly British films. Will is just such a case. Americans Ellen Perry (Director) and Zack Anderson (Writer) have created a family film drama around Liverpool FC.

‘The Two Escobars’ (2010) explains narco-fútbol

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in Cultural, Documentary

For its 30th anniversary, ESPN commissioned 30 respected filmmakers to produce 30 documentaries on the impact of sports on society. 30 for 30: The Two Escobars is the fascinating story of player Andrés Escobar and druglord Pablo Escobar.

The rise and fall of Brian Clough in ‘The Damned United’ (2009)

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in Drama

When watching The Damned United, besides Sheen’s performance, I wondered why is this soccer movie so good? Well, it turns out that this BBC film has quite a pedigree behind it: Director Peter Hooper made The King’s Speech. And screenwriter Peter Morgan wrote The Queen, The Last King of Scotland, and Frost/Nixon. Hooper, Morgan, and…

Amanda Bynes sparkles in ‘She’s the Man’ (2006)

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in Kids

She’s the Man is a clever adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, a story of mistaken identity and cross-dressing, played on a high school soccer field. Amanda Bynes sparkles as Viola, a girl masquerading as her brother Sebastian in order to play on the boys team (under coach Vinnie Jones).

The 99ers and their ‘Dare to Dream’ (2005)

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The HBO documentary Dare to Dream: The Story of the US Womens Soccer Team faithfully captures the build up and heartbreak that is US Soccer’s Womens National Team (USWNT). If you are a fan, you need to watch this film. If you watched it when it first came out in 2005 (like I did), you…

‘Goal! The Dream Begins’ (2005) soccer movie with a decent budget

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in Drama

First conceived in 2000, the trilogy Goal! was dropped and then restarted production after WC 2002. This first Goal movie was made by 3 Brits in Hollywood who love soccer, and therefore, they try to portray the game realistically and honestly.

Ideal soccer date movie: ‘Romeo and Juliet get Married’ (2005)

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in Comedy, Romance

A few years after making Bossa Nova, Bruno Barreto directed this Brazilian comedy, O Casamento de Romeu e Julieta, which is another, even better, soccer date movie.

Mystical and omnipotent ‘Shaolin Soccer’ (2001)

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in Comedy

After watching a slew of soccer movies, I reopened my Shaolin Soccer DVD. I liked it 10 years ago, but now I recognize how inventive the movie is. A group of penniless former Shaolin monks rekindle their love of kung fu by applying it to soccer.

Guy Oliver covers ‘History of Soccer’ (2001) up to the year 2000

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The History of Soccer is a terrific compilation of facts and videos. I originally got the first disk from Netflix, and then I found the whole 7-disk set at my library. I’ve often felt clueless when soccer commentator Christopher Sullivan rhapsodized about some historical player during a game, e.g. comparing someone to a Garrincha or a Di…

‘Mean Machine’ (2001) soccer’s version of ‘The Longest Yard’

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