Shaolin Soccer Review

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(More customer reviews)I had heard about Shaolin Soccer (2001) a couple of years ago from a friend, as he had recommended it to me, knowing the particular way some of my tastes ran, and I am glad he did, as it's a heady mix of the wacky, the absurd, and the just plain fun. The movie starts off with a flashback, showing an extremely popular Chinese soccer player named Golden Leg Fung accepting money to throw a game from a lackey, and the consequences of his actions, including a severely crippling beating by the crowd after purposely missing a rather easy goal scoring opportunity. Now, it's many years later, and Fung now works for the gangster organization that had originally paid him off, in a completely demeaning position. He dreams of coaching, but the once lackey who owns the current champion soccer team and is also chairman of the league, finds this notion completely humorous, and heap further degradations upon Fung. Despondent, Fung ends up meeting a vagabond/shaolin follower called Steel Leg, and formulates a plan to build a new soccer team around this exceptional martial artist. Fung also finds out Steel Leg has enough brothers, all once trained in martial arts, to make up a team. Each brother has their own, unique ability, and soon they begin to practice. During their first practice, the men suffer a fairly brutal beating (this whole pain, beating, and humiliation factor seems to be a constant theme throughout), but soon find their shaolin training coming back to them, and turn the tables on their opponents. They enter the tournament, sweeping through the ranks, until finally the meet with the current champions, the Evil Team (I'm not kidding, that's their name), and meet the ultimate challenge, as the chairman gives his team a decidedly unfair advantage. Will the shaolin players be victorious, or will they suffer the crushing defeat at the hands of the chairman and his evil team?
The special effects here are truly amazing and inventive, making for the most insane soccer playing I've ever seen. Imagine someone being able to kick a soccer ball with the same force of shooting it out of a cannon, and with pinpoint accuracy. There is not really a lot of actual soccer playing, in the traditional sense, as with the abilities of the players, the ball mainly zooms around in a very cartoonish manner. Mixing kung fu and soccer is certainly and interesting concept, and provides some really spectacular visuals. The English captioning is really bad, but certainly gave me much to laugh about, along with the seriously outlandish overacting.
Special features include an option to watch the film with the deleted scenes, the deleted scenes by themselves, a trailer, biographies, a featurette on the making of the film, a photo gallery, and behind the scenes featurette on how the special effects were made. All in all, Shaolin Soccer is an unsane, over the top comedy steeped in outrageous action and definitely worth a look if you care to expand your horizons.
Cookieman108

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With tons of action, eye-popping special effects, and nonstop laughs, here's a hilarious martial arts comedy about a team of misfits who take their best shot at winning a championship! Sing is a skilled Shaolin kung fu devotee whose amazing "leg of steel" catches the eye of a soccer coach! Together they assemble a squad of Sing's former Shaolin brothers inspired by the big-money prize in a national soccer competition! Using an unlikely mix of martial arts and newfound soccer skills, it seems an unbeatable combination ... until they must face the dreaded Team Evil in the ultimate battle for the title!

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The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, this disc will only play in 3D, and it's only 720p, this is one reason why I deducted 1 star.
In spite of it only being 720p, the scenes on the soccer/football fields are pretty amazing. The extra inserted interview footage, not so much. the interview footage is very soft and not quite too sharp, where as the footage on the fields is amazingly sharp.
This movie is simply a documentary of the World Cup playoffs in South Africa. It points out how having the tournament in S. Africa has given pride to the nation as a whole, and brought people of all races in Africa together.
Mainly, however, it highlights many of the (most important) games of the FIFA 2010 World Cup series. I am by no means a sports fan, but I found this BD very entertaining. The footage shot during the games at times makes you feel like your right in the middle of the action. For the most part, the 3D was shot very well, except for a few brief instances of mis-synch between left and right images, and what appears to be a brief instances where the stereo seems inverted. There's not too much of this, however, but this is the other reason I deducted one star.
The interviews and other supplementary inserted footage at times appears to be rather flat, with very little depth, especially the outside shots of the stadiums, but I assume that is due to the zoom factor from a long distance. The interviews were shot rather close, and those are almost flat as well.
However, the game footage is awesome, which is why I bought the BD in the first place. I had seen a short clip of some of the action in 3D which looked really nice, and when I saw the title up for pre-oreder, I jumped on it.
It was nice to see how they take you through the games, highlighting the important goals, wins and losses. I really felt bad when the last African nation in the series, Ghana, lost. Being right in the middle of it made it feel more real for me.
Overall, the film was very well made, and in spite of being only 720p resolution, looks very good. There was practically no ghosting to speak of, at least on my 42" Panasonic Plasma screen.
When I inserted the disc, and started the movie, it immediately displayed in 3D, I didn't have to chage the setting on the TV. The TV and BluRay player have what Panasonic calls VieraLink, which lets the devices communicate with each other when connected via HDMI. I have the BluRay player set to always play 3D titles in 3D, so I don't know if this is why I didn't have to set the TV myself.
At any rate, this was a very entertaining look at something I virtually ignored while it was happening, the FIFA 2010 World Cup. I will watch it again, at some point, and I would reccomment this title to the folks out there with 3d TV's that are hungry for content. It's a live action film, as opposed to the mostly CGI 3D movies that have been made in the last few years, so this is another bonus -- getting to see real humans in 3D.

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Experience the journey of the most-watched sporting event in the world as it was meant to be seen: in dynamic and vibrant 3D on Blu-ray™. Relive the action and intensity of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ as though you were actually in the stadium witnessing all the drama and athletic skill. The greatest players in the world--supported by the most passionate fans--met up on the biggest stage in sports and made history as the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ enthralled South Africa and the world. The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ on Blu-ray 3D™ - there's no event quite like it!

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Goal - The Dream Begins (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Yes, this is another sports biography that offers a stage on which to play out the drama of the possibilities of dreams of the disenfranchised to become a reality. There are many, many films like this one and will doubtless be more: something there is about the 'team spirit' in the identity crisis of whether or not the poor (financially) new guy will be able to make the physical grade that draws large audiences. It is a formula and it often works despite weak structure and production values.
In the case of GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS the viewer can put aside the doubts as to whether the film can make it on its own: this little low profile movie is well written (Mike Jefferies's story adapted for the screen by Adrian Butchart), well directed by Danny Cannon who knows well how to integrate live sports scenes into the drama, and consistently well acted by a troop of excellent actors, beginning with the very vibrant, handsome, and charismatic Kuno Becker ('Lucia, Lucia', 'Imagining Argentina', 'Once Upon a Wedding', 'English as a Second Language'), a 28 year old Mexican actor with an assured future in the lead role of Santiago. The supporting roles are classy contributions by the gifted Alessandro Nivola ('The Sisters', 'Junebug', 'The Clearing', 'Laurel Canyon', 'Love's Labour's Lost', 'Mansfield Park' etc), the very beautiful Anna Friel, Stephen Dillane, Marcel Iures, Tony Plana, Miriam Colon to mention only a few.
The story is secondary: as a child devotee of soccer Santiago immigrates illegally into the US with his family, grows up in Los Angeles working as a gardener, a dishwasher and other menial tasks while he consumes his spare time with developing his unique talents for soccer. Despite his father's insistence that he remain with the family business of gardening, Santiago is discovered by a scout on vacation from England, a bond develops and soon Santiago is off to Newcastle to pursue his dream of being a professional soccer player. The rest is pretty obvious - the ups and downs of an asthmatic kid competing in the wild world of sports. The star of the moment is Alessandro Nivola and despite the differences in their goals and social life they become friends who help each other in tender ways. There is of course a love interest, telephone calls and encouragement form Santiago's grandmother, adjustments to life in the UK -all altering the road toward Santiago's eventually attained goal.
The film is a bit lengthy (two hours) for the content, but then we understand this is the first of a trilogy, so get used to the story and the characters as they all remain constant for the next two installments. Whatever reservations you may have about sitting through another predictable sports movie just relax them: Kuno Becker alone is worth the time invested in this very fine little film. Grady Harp, September 06

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Kicking and Screaming (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Will Ferrell is always funny, and the part of Phil Weston would seem to be tailor-made for his comedic antics. Phil's basically a little boy in a man's body, a little boy who wants to finally prove himself to his father and make up for never having met the old man's expectations. Robert Duvall lends the film an importance presence and additional laughs as the highly competitive Buck Weston, sporting goods king and highly successful coach of the Youth Soccer League Gladiators team. Phil (Ferrell) has never been able to get a leg up on his father - but certainly not from lack of effort. When he got married, his father got re-married; when he had a son, his father's wife gave birth to a son (slightly larger, of course) the same day. Young Sam and his equally young uncle Bucky play for the Gladiators, Buck's team, and they are all but unbeatable. Sam, though, is the proverbial benchwarmer, so Buck decides to trade his own grandson to the league's worst team. Yes, it's another team of misfits of all shapes and sizes that just need an incredible coach to take them to unsuspected glory. That coach is nowhere to be seen, and Phil ends up taking on the job.
That's when the competitive juices start flowing. The first big move Phil makes is to take on an assistant coach, his dad's neighbor and long-time enemy Mike Ditka. Iron Mike is surprisingly good in this film and more than holds his own beside both Ferrell and Duvall. He only takes the job to try and make Buck's life more difficult, but he soon goes about whipping the little misfits into shape. The team still stinks, but their fortunes begin to change when Ditka and Phil bring in two new players, a pair of Italian kids who were apparently born with soccer balls balanced on their feet. The team begins winning, and with every win Phil goes a little more cuckoo for cocoa puffs; his new coffee addiction doesn't really help, either. Sure, it's funny to watch Ferrell go about inspiring his team in pretty unorthodox ways, but it eventually gets to the point that the whole thing stops being funny. Even Ditka can't get behind telling the kids to cheat (without getting caught, of course) or break a few clavicles. Ferrell's character just goes so over-the-top that you just want to slap him; he lets the desire to beat his dad corrupt him completely, and the lack of moderation in the second half of the film is a real negative.
There are a lot of laughs to be had in Kicking and Screaming. It's exceedingly formulaic and predictable, but that doesn't matter all that much as long as the laughs keep coming. The script just takes Ferrell's character way too far over the line; watching a crazy guy coach soccer is funny, but watching a freak going bonkers on the sidelines is more annoying than anything else. The film could really have used more Ditka in the later stages. Don't go thinking this is some cameo by Iron Mike; he gets a lot of screen time, and he makes this movie better and funnier with all of his trademark habits.
In the end, Kicking and Screaming is a very funny movie, but it's not a great comedy. Despite excellent performances all around (especially Ditka's), the film is just too over-the-top for its own good. You can't say the movie tries to be anything more than it is, though - it's all about generating laughs and nothing else.

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Will Ferrell's trademark off-the-wall lunacy kicks in for a comedy sure to score big with the whole family! Phil Weston (Ferrell) is a mild-mannered suburban dad - who's suddenly transformed into a caffeine-fueled sports maniac when he becomes the coach of his son's unruly soccer team. But when the championship pits Phil's underdog team against the squad coached by his own domineering dad (Oscar winner Robert Duvall), it's game on for the most uproarious mismatch of the season! Suit up for fun, Ferrell-style, with the comedy Ebert & Roeper give "Two Thumbs Up!"

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ESPN Films 30 for 30: The Two Escobars Review

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(More customer reviews)Well this was simply a fine film that captivated me from beginning to end. Broken down into essentially two parts (Pablo & Andres) it weaves a tale that is simultaneously grotesque and inspiring. That Colombia could be so united by it's soccer/football team is a testament to hope and a proud culture. This film incorporates numerous poignant interviews (both historic and contemporary) of former players, government officials, former drug traffickers, former Colombian soccer federation officials, and close friends and family of the two Escobars. You feel as though you are receiving the true story from the horses mouth, so to speak. And maybe, just maybe, we actually are.
'The Two Escobars' is essential viewing if only for it's presentation of the facts associated with the Andres Escobar murder that have been muddled by misinformation (which I too have been guilty of believing). The film even goes so far as to elude to Andres death not being related to drug cartel retaliation at all. But the truth may, in fact, be uglier and more of an indictment on the horrific and terrifying society of the time.
This film is worth your attention whether you are a fan of football, a fan of documentaries, a fan of history, or simply a fan of learning about people and cultures. It's not a feel-good movie on the surface, but if you know the Colombia of today it would be impossible not to feel good about how far this country has come since the turbulent times portrayed in this film.
On a personal note, I recently spent 5 months of my life in Colombia teaching English and I will say that Colombians are some of the friendliest and happiest people I have met anywhere on this Earth during my travels. Not only that but Bogota, where I spent the majority of my time, did not feel unsafe except in the deepest hours of the night and only really in the dodgier areas. But while there I never spoke with anyone to any great extent about the past, two decades ago when the country was a world away from the security it enjoys today. This film provides a glimpse into that tumultuous time when fear and paranoia clearly gripped every man, woman, and child in the country. It's the best history lesson I've ever watched!
See it!!! It's not really just a good ESPN program, it is actually a fine feature film (clocking in at 103 captivating minutes). I would honestly not be surprised if this is nominated for an Oscar. This is as good of a sports documentary as you are ever likely to see and is up there in the pantheon of the greats with documentary films like 'Hoop Dreams'.

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While rival drug cartels warred in the streets and the country's murder rate climbed to highest in the world, the Colombian national soccer team set out to blaze a new image for their country. What followed was a mysteriously rapid rise to glory, as the team catapulted out of decades of obscurity to become one of the best teams in the world. Central to this success were two men named Escobar: Andrés, the inspirational captain of the National Team, and Pablo, the infamous drug baron who pioneered the phenomenon known in the underworld as "Narco-soccer."A favorite to win the 1994 World Cup, the Columbians never made it out of the first round.In the 35th minute of the team's game against the United States, Andres scored an own goal, costing his team a shot at the title and his nation's chance to transform its image on the international stage.Less than ten days later, he was shot 12 times, gunned down outside a bar in a suburb of Medellin. An official selection at the Tribeca and Los Angeles Film Festivals, and an official selection at Cannes' Cinema de la Plage, award-winning directors Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist examine the mysterious events surrounding Andres' tragic death with this intense thriller about the intersection of crime and sport.
This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

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Green Street Hooligans (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Green Street Hooligans" sets a family drama and coming-of-age tale in the world of football (soccer) hooliganism. Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood) was a promising journalism student before he was expelled from Harvard University over his roommate's cocaine stash. Suddenly aimless, Matt wanders to London to visit his sister Shannon (Claire Forlani) and her British husband Steve (Marc Warren). When Matt tags along to a soccer game with Steve's brother Pete (Charlie Hunnam), he finds that there is a lot more to soccer culture than the game on the field. Pete is a member of a football firm or gang called the Green Street Elite (GSE). Firms are organizations of fanatic fans who battle other firms for reputation and dominance -by beating the crap out of each other. Matt is attracted to the high energy, danger, and physicality of the GSE and embraces the lifestyle. But eventually word gets around that he might be a journalist - and hooligans hate coppers and journalists.
I couldn't say how accurately "Green Street Hooligans" represents the dynamics of football firms or the relationships of their members. But the film does provide a window into a subculture that is common in the UK and South America, where soccer reigns supreme, but which Americans may never have heard of. Contrary to the American cocept of gangsters, soccer hooligans are neither Mafioso nor errant youth. They are grown, middle-class men who function perfectly well in normal jobs. But outside of work and domestic obligations, they are completely lawless. They happily adopt a brutality that could leave them dead or maimed in the blink of an eye. "Green Street Hooligans" requires some suspension of disbelief to accept more mundane behavior. Would Steve really send his naïve Yank brother-in-law to a soccer game with his estranged hooligan brother? No. That kind of illogic is common in this film. But the culture of hooliganism, the allure of their violence, is at the same time stupid and fascinating.
The DVD (Warner 2006): "The Making of Hooligans" (6 min) is not about making the movie. It is a series of interviews with actors Elijah Wood, Claire Forlani, Charlie Hunnam, director Lexi Alexander and producer Deborah Del Prete which discuss the characters and the phenomenon of football firms. There is a music video for the song "One Blood" by Terence Jay, which sounds uncannily like the Dire Straits' song "Brother in Arms". Terence Jay also acts in the movie. He plays Matt's elite WASP Harvard roommate, the cokehead. Subtitles for the film are available in English, French, and Spanish.

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A wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of soccer hooliganism. DVD Features:Documentary:The Making of HooligansMusic Video:"One Blood" Music Video by Terence Jay

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Gracie (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)The fact that this quiet yet beautiful gem of a film was released on the same weekend as the summer blockbuster "Knocked Up" may give some indication as to why it came and went relatively quickly in the theaters. Still, if you saw the previews for this and/or went to see it when it came out, chances are you agree that it was an impressively well-told story of courage, redemption, and the realization that life simply is never perfect, regardless of how much effort is put forth.
Contemporary sport films have become a distinctive genre that is all their own, and simply seeing the poster for this film may instantly suggest something about defying the odds, standing up against adversity, and meeting with huge successes that are the result of hard work. Isn't that, after all, the general formula of many of the inspirational sports movies that are out there?
However, while "Gracie" emphasizes all those things and efficiently plays out those typical messages, there is something much stronger that makes this film worth your time. It is loosely based on true-life events of actress Elisabeth Shue, who made a name for herself with the 1980's hit "Misadventures in Babysitting." Beyond her acting career, though, there is a story of her childhood that is carried through the character of Gracie Bowens, a teenager who is growing up with a slew of soccer-playing brothers. You can sense immediately that she is struggling with feelings of inadequacy as she fights to be part of the family athleticism, but when a jarring tragedy strikes with her oldest brother, so begins her journey toward making a difference and taking his spot on the varsity soccer team. Gracie knows she cannot take this on without her father's consent in training her--a tall order that creates several barriers against her, even with her own parents. If there's anything that this movie strives for most, it's the sobering honesty of the families, schools, and communities that are not always supportive of what certain people deem as valuable.
Perhaps the single factor that drew me in the most about this film was the execution of Gracie's rebellion early in the plot. In an attempt to curb the pain of her family's loss and cope with Dad's rejection, the young girl compensates with alcohol, skimpy outfits, and flings with guys that go well beyond first base. The scenes were so thoughtfully done, and there was a certain authenticity with how a 15-year-old girl in that situation would be feeling and reacting. Though it's clear that her father's attentiveness would be the one thing to pull her away from his danger, the entire issue is proof of the theory that involvement in sports affords young people the discipline to stay out of trouble.
Beyond this, the theme of "Gracie" basically focuses on the price we pay for pursuing a far-fetched dream (and let's face it, it's not usually a cheap deal). Our heroine is a girl who obviously has the passion and grit to do well, but it is hardly a smooth road, and much of the film focuses less on the glory and more on how much this young lady must do every single day to have a shot at what she is doing. Even when she manages to earn the opportunity to try out for the guys' team, the male world of soccer is not exactly kind to the likes of a girl trying to ease her way in. Viewers will find themselves searching hard for a moment during which they can share in celebrating Gracie's success, but the truth is, the film's plot makes it as tough for us as they do for the main character. The ending is enough to generate a smile without feeling that the story went too far with the saccharine and unrealistic, and to me, that is the mark of a unique, credible movie.
If you did not get to catch this film when it was originally released in theaters, I hope you will get your family together to watch it when it arrives on DVD in September. Aside from a solid script that has something important to say for anyone who watches, it is filled with strong, hard-fought performances from the entire cast. Carly Schroeder has the ideal "athletic beauty" combination that film critics have been talking about regarding her performance, and though she is a relative newcomer (she had a recurring role in Hilary Duff's "Lizzie McGuire" TV series and theatrical film of the same name, but this is her first major role), she lends all the right elements to the character and indicates a promising future career in the Hollywood business. As Gracie, she is a bag of bolts, a fighting spirit, and while she thrives under her father's careful guidance, the real test comes when it is time to get out there and show everyone if she can do it. The way Schroeder executes it is brilliant, and there's no doubt that the casting crew got it just right when they chose her. Dermot Mulroney is terrific as always, delivering big as a grieving and conflicted father. His love for his little girl--his only daughter--is never questioned, but his hesitation in helping her realize her biggest goal involves far more intense factors, especially in a society where female prejudice is still a major issue. Elisabeth Shue--who is, again, the inspiration for the title character--steps in as Gracie's patient mother. Always hopeful, yet never afraid to come forward with the truth, it is an all-around enjoyable film that seeks to inspire in its own way.

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Meet Gracie Bowen, she's your average, ordinary 15-year-old girl, except for one thing: she's determined to play varsity soccer... on the boys' team! But when her school forbids her to play and even her family questions her ability, Gracie sets out on extraordinary quest to prove them all wrong. Fighting to change the school's policy and facing off against some of the toughest competitors on the soccer field, Gracie must summon all of her strength and courage, to finally show the world that a girl with a dream can do absolutely anything!DVD Features:Audio CommentaryFeaturetteTheatrical Trailer

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